^. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


// 


^ 


1.0 


Ut  l&i    12.2 
^   U    12.0 


u  1^ 


Hiotographic 

^Sciences 

Corporation 


93  WMT  H  Am  ITMIT 

WIUTM.NV.  149M 

(71*)  •73-4903 


^^    ^\  ^r\\ 


.<^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Inatltuta  lot  Hlitorieal  Mlcroraproductlona  /  Initltut  Canadian  da  mlcroraproductlona  hlatotlquaa 


Tachnical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notas  tachniquaa  at  bibliographiquaa 


Tha  Instituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tlia  baat 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  aignif  icantly  changa 
tha  usual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chackad  baiow. 


D 


D 


D 
D 


D 


Colourad  covara/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 


I     I    Covara  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommagia 


Covara  rastorad  and/or  iaminatad/ 
Couvartura  raataurAa  at/ou  pailiculAa 


□   Covar  titia  missing/ 
La 


titra  da  couvartura  manqua 

lourad  maps/ 
Cartas  gAographiquas  an  coulaur 

Colourad  ink  (i.a.  othar  than  blua 

Encra  da  coulaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 


r~n    Colourad  maps/ 

r~-\    Colourad  ink  (i.a.  othar  than  blua  or  black)/ 


r~~|   Colourad  plataa  and/or  illustrations/ 


D 


Planchaa  at/ou  illuatratlons  an  coulaur 

Bound  with  othar  matarial/ 
RaliA  avac  d'autraa  documanta 

Tight  binding  may  eauaa  ahadowa  or  diatortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

La  rs  liura  sarrAa  paut  cauaar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
distortion  la  long  da  la  marga  IntAriaura 

Blank  laavaa  addad  during  rastoratlon  may 
appaar  within  tha  taxt.  Whanavar  poaaibla.  thaaa 
hava  l>aan  omittad  from  filming/ 
II  sa  paut  qua  cartalnaa  pagaa  blanohaa  ajoutiaa 
lora  d'una  rastauration  apparaiaaant  dana  la  taxta, 
mala,  loraqua  cala  4tait  posslbia,  caa  pagaa  n'ont 
paa  4t«  fllm4aa. 

Additional  commanta:/ 
Commantalraa  supplAmantairaa: 


L'Inatitut  a  microfilm*  la  maillaur  axamplaira 
qu'N  lul  a  At*  posslbia  da  sa  procurar.  Laa  details 
da  cat  axamplaira  qui  sont  paut-Atra  uniquaa  du 
point  da  vua  bibliographiqua.  qui  pauvant  modif  iar 
una  imaga  raproduita,  ou  qui  pauvant  axigar  una 
modification  dana  la  mithoda  normala  da  filmaga 
aont  indiquia  ci-daaaoua. 


D 
D 
D 
121 
D 
0 
D 
D 
D 
D 


Colourad  pagaa/ 
Pagaa  da  coulaur 

Pagaa  damagad/ 
Pagaa  andommagAaa 

Pagas  raatorad  and/or  Iaminatad/ 
Pagaa  raatauries  at/ou  pallicuMaa 

Pagas  discolourad.  atalnad  or  foxad/ 
Pagaa  dAcolorAaa,  tachatAaa  ou  pIquAaa 

Pagaa  datachad/ 
Pagaa  ditachias 

Showthrough/ 
Tranaparanca 

Quality  of  print  variaa/ 
Quallt*  InAgala  da  I'lmpraaaiou 

Inciudaa  aupplamantary  matarial/ 
Comprand  du  matArial  auppMmantaira 

Only  adMon  availabia/ 
Saula  MMon  diaponlbia 

Pagaa  wholly  or  partially  obacurad  by  arrata 
allpa,  tiaauas.  ate,  hava  baan  rafilmad  to 
ansura  tha  baat  poaaibla  imaga/ 
Las  pagas  totalamant  ou  partiallamant 
obscurciaa  par  un  faulllat  d'arrata.  una  palura. 
ate,  ont  4tA  filmAaa  i  nouvaau  da  fapon  A 
obtanir  la  maillaura  imaga  posslbia. 


Th 
to 


Th 
po 
of 
fil 


Or 
ba 
th 
sic 
ot 
fir 
sic 
or 


Th 
shi 
Til 
w» 

Ml 
dif 
am 
bai 
rigl 
rao 
mt 


Thia  itam  la  fllmad  at  tha  raduetion  ratio  chackad  balow/ 


^0w  vnt 

10X 

FVWIII 

*••»  m 

w%    ••• 

14X 

H    UiH 

M    WW 

IWHW 

UtIWII 

1IX 

•■•wn 

fHW   W 

■~uw* 

wwiia 

22X 

aw 

lOX 

y 

12X 

1IX 

20X 

a4x 

2U( 

32X 

r« 

l«tails 
M  du 
fnodifier 
•r  une 
fiimag* 


The  copy  filmed  her*  hat  been  reproduced  thanka 
to  the  generoaity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


The  image*  appearing  here  are  the  be*t  quality 
po**ibl*  con*id*ring  th*  condition  and  lagibiiity 
of  th*  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  •pecifications. 


L'*x*mplair*  filmt  fut  r*prodult  grAc*  A  la 
gAnArositA  da: 

BibliothAqu*  national*  du  Canada 


Las  images  tuivante*  ont  At*  reproduitet  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
de  la  n*tt*tA  d*  r*x*mplair*  film6,  *t  *n 
conformity  av*c  l*s  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmag*. 


Original  copie*  in  print*d  papar  cover*  mn  film*d 
b*ginning  with  th*  front  cov*r  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  ere  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  iaat  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustreted  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimte  sont  filmte  en  commengant 
par  le  premier  plat  at  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derniAre  pege  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  fllmto  en  commenpent  par  la 
pramiAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreint* 
d'impr*ssion  ou  d'illustration  at  *n  t*rminant  par 
la  dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -^»>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  ▼  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  epplie*. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
darniire  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  I* 
symbol*  V  slgnifl*  "FIN". 


Mbp*.  plat**,  chart*.  *tc..  may  b*  film*d  at 
diff*r*nt  r*duction  ratio*.  Tho**  too  larg*  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  expoaur*  ar*  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  aa  many  frame*  a* 
r*quir*d.  Th*  following  diagram*  illu*trat*  th* 
m*thod: 


L**  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmis  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diff Arents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA.  11  est  f  limA  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supAriaur  gauche,  de  geuche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas.  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'imeges  nicessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mithoda. 


errata 
to 


I  pelure. 
on  i 


1  2  3 


3IX 


1 

2 

3 

4 

6 

6 

> 


f# 


I{( 


i 


I 


WACOUSTA 


/^f. 


-v/ 


-tt^f  /;./ Y  ^  ^ 


/ 


^  t  ^ 


OB, 


* 


THE     PROPHECY 


*•  , 


AN    INDIAN   TALE 


•  VwfMnee  ta  itlll  alive ;  fW>n  her  d<^k  e«T«t, 
With  »U  her  make*  erect  upon  her  ereat, 
■m  atalks  In  view,  and  Area  me  with  her  charma.** 


BY  MAJOR  RICHARDSON. 

AOTHOR    or   "  HARD80RABBLE,"   "icARTi,**  kf 


aEYIBES  IDinOR. 


'  N  K  W     V  • '  i;  K  : 

KOJtKUT    M.    I)K    \Viri\    ICO    v<i:    lfi2   NASSAU   ST. 
\>        I 


\  ,.. 


fH 


8 


tm 


To 


1 


I 


r* 


<:■     ■  i. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Tbis  Chapter,  written  eighteen  years  subsequent  to  the  original  publication 
»f  Wacoubta  in  London,  will  be  found  unavoidably  replete  with  egotism.  By 
oone  will  it  be  mure  rcudily  pronounced  such  than  by  those  who  are  moit 
open  to  the  charge  themselves.  Without  its  exercise,  however,  the  object  of 
this  mtroduction  would  not  be  gained. 

As  the  reader  may  be  curious  to  know  on  what  basis,  and  in  what  mann  r 
this  story  (of  whicli  I  have  certainl}'  robbed  that  first  of  vigorous  Americai 
Novelists — the  "  Last  of  the  Mohicans"  Cooper — which  tale,  albeit  I  have  nefir 
read  a  novel  by  another  author  twice.  I  have  absolutely  devoured  three  times,) 
was  suggested  to  me,  and  ontwhat  particular  portions  of  History  the  story  ia 
founded,  I  am  not  aware  that  this  introductory  Chapter,  which  I  have  prom 
ised  my  Piiblishers.  can  be  better  devoted  than  to  the  explanation. 

It  is  well  known  to  every  man  conversant  with  the  earlier  History  of  thia 
country  that,  shortly  subsequent  to  the  cession  of  the  Canadas  to  England  by 
Franco.  Pontlac  the  great  Head  of  the  Indian  race  of  that  period,  had  formed 
j»  federp.tion  of  the  various  tril)cs,  threatening  extermination  to  the  Briti.sh  posta 
e«tabli8he<l  along  the  Weslem  Frontier.  These  were  nine  In  number,  and  the 
following  stratagem  was  rcsorte<l  to  by  the  artful  chief  to  effect  their  reduo 
tion.  Investing  one  fort  with  his  warriors,  so  as  to  cut  off  all  commimication 
with  the  others,  and  to  leave  no  hope  of  succor,  his  practice  was  to  offer  terma 
of  surrender  which  never  were  kept  in  the  honorable  spirit  in  which  the  far 
more  noble  and  generous  Tocumseh  alwa\'s  acted  with  his  enemies,  and  thus  in 
turn,  seven  of  these  outposts  fell  victims  to  their  confidence  in  his  truth. 
Detroit  and  Michilliniackinac  or  Mackinaw  as  it  is  now  called,  remained,  and 
all  the  ingenuity  of  the  Chieftain  was  directed  to  the  pos.session  of  these 
strongholds.  The  following  plan,  well  worthy  of  his  invention,  was  at  length 
detcrmmed  upon.  During  a  temjjorary  truce,  and  while,  Ponteac  was  hold* 
fag  forth  proposals  for  an  ultimate  and  durable  peace,  a  ball  playing  was  ar, 
ranged  by  him  to  take  place  simultaneously,  on  the  common  or  clearing  or 
which  rested  the  forts  of  Michillimnckanac  and  Detroit.  The  better  to  aoeom 
plish  their  object,  tlie  guns  of^  the  warriors  Ijad  been  cut  short  and  given  to  th«lr 


Tl 


INTRODITCTION 


\ 


that  the  old  lady,  with  whom  T  was  u  p-eat  favorite,  used  to  enchain  my 
young  interest  by  detai'infi;  various  farts  connected  with  the  siege  she  so  well 
remembered,  and  infused  into  me  a  longing  to  prow  up  to  manhood  that  I 
might  write  a  book  about  it.  The  details  of  the  Ponteac  plan  for  the  capture 
of  the  two  forts  were  what  she  most  enlarged  upon,  and  although  a  long*  lapse 
of  years  of  absence  from  the  scene,  and  ten  thousand  incidents  of  a  higher  and 
more  immediate  importance  might  have  been  supposed  to  weaken  the  recol- 
lections of  so  early  a  period  of  life,  the  impression  has  ever  vividly  remained. 
Hence  the  first  appearance  of  Wacousta  in  London  in  1832,  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  later.  The  story  is  founded  solely  on  the  artifice  of 
Ponteac  to  possess  himself  of  these  two  last  British  forts.  All  else  is  imap 
ginary.  C 

^  It  is  not  a  little  curious  that  I,  only  a  few  years  subsequent  to  the  narration 
by  old  Mrs.  Erskine  of  the  daring  and  cunning  feats  of  Ponteac,  and  his  vain 
attempt  to  secure  the  fort  of  Detroit,  should  myself  have  entered  it  in  arms. 
But  it  was  so.  I  had  ever  hated  school  with  a  most  bitter  hatred,  and  I 
gladly  availed  myself  of  an  offer  from  General  Brock  to  obtain  for  me  a  com- 
mission in  the  king's  service.  Meanwhile  I  did  duty  as  a  cadet  with  the  gal- 
lant 41st  regimen^  to  whom  the  English  edition  of  Wacousta  was  inscribed, 
and  was  one  of  the  guard  of  honor  who  took  possession  of  the  fort.  The 
duty  of  a  sentinel  over  the  British  colors,  which  had  just  been  hoisted,  was 
assigned  to  me,  and  I  certainly  felt  lot  a  little  proud  of  the  distinction. 

Tive  times,  within  half  a  century,  had  the  flag  of  that  fortress  been  changed. 
First  the  lily  of  France,  then  the  red  cross  of  England,  and  next  the  stripes  and 
stars  of  America  had  floated  over  its  ramparts ;  and  then  again  the  red  cross, 
and  lastly  the  stars.  On  my  return  to  this  country  a  few  years  since,  I  visited 
those  scenes  of  stirring  excitement  in  which  my  boyhood  had  been  pas.sed, 
but  I  looked  in  vain  for  the  ancient  fortifications  which  had  given  a  classical 
interest  to  that  region.  The  unsparing  hand  of  utilitarianism  had  passed 
over  them,  destroying  almost,  every  vestige  of  the  past.  Where  had  risen  the 
only  fortress  in  America  at  all  worthy  to  ^ive  anti(|uity  to  the  scene,  streets 
had  been  laid  out  and  made,  and  houses  had  been  built,  leaving  not  a  trace 
of  its  existence,  save  the  well  that  formerly  supplied  the  closely  besieged  gar- 
rison with  water ;  and  this,  half  imbedded  in  the  herbage  of  an  enclosure  of  a 
dwelling  house  of  mean  appearance,  was  rather  to  bo  guessed  at  than  seen ; 
while  at  the  opposite  extremity  of  the  city,  wluro  had  been  conspicuous  for 
years  the  Bloody  Run,  o«ltivation  and  improvement  had  nearly  obliterated 
nrory  trace  of  the  past. 

Two  objcctiojiH  have  been  urged  against  Wacousta  as  a  consistent  tale — the 
one  as  involving  an  improbability,  the  other  a  geographical  error.  It  ha.s  been 
aesumeiKthat  the  startling  feat  accomplished  by  that  man  of  deep  revenge, 
who  is  not  alone  in  his  bitter  hatred  and  contempt  for  the  base  among  th()8e 
who,  like  sp-iniels,  crawl  and  kiss  the  dust  at  the  instigation  of  their  su- 
periors, and  yet  arrogate  to  themfielvea  a  claim  to  bo  considered  gentlemen 
and  men  of  honor  and  independence — it  has,  I  repeat,  been  assumed  that  the 
feat  attributed  to  him,  in  connexion  with  the  flag-stafT  of  the  fort,  was  im* 


i 


I  N  r  li  o  I)  u  c  r  I  o  N . 


0  Rccne,  streets 


Instructions  he  kad  received,  returned  to  Alljuny.  where  he  n  ported  the  suoceM 
of  ihe  expcclition. 

The  colonial  authuiitics  were  not  vosrardless  of  his  interests.  When  the 
Ponteac  confederacy  had  been  dissolved,  and  quiet  and  security  restore<l 
in  that  remote  rejiion.  larj^e  tracts  of  lanil  were  granted  to  Mr.  Erskine, 
and  (Jther  privileges  a«:cordt!d  which  eventually  gave  him  tlie  conuuand  of 
friearly  a  humlred  thousaml  <lullars — an  enormous  sum  to  have  been  realised 
at  that  early  period  of  the  country,  lint  it  was  not  destined  that  he  should 
retain  this.  Tho  great  bulk  of  his  capital  was  expen<led  on  almost  the  lust 
commercial  shipping  that  eNci'  skimmed  the  surface  of  Lakes  Huron  and  Eric. 
Shortly  prior  to  the  Revolution,  he  was  posses.sed  of  seven  vessels  of  dillerent 
tonnnge,  and  the  trade  in  which  he  had  embarked,  and  of  which  he  was  the 
head,  was  ra])idly  increasing  his  alread}'  large  fortune,  when  one  of  those  au- 
tumnal hurricanes,  which  even  to  this  day  continue  to  desolate  the  waters  of 
the  treacherous  lake  last  n:imed,  suddenly  arose  and  buried  l)eneath  its  en- 
gulfing waves  not  less  tlian  six  of  these  scliooners  laden  with  such  riches, 
chiefly  furs,  of  the  West,  as  then  wen;  most  an  object  of  barter.  Mr.  Erskine. 
win)  had  married  the  dau>;hter  of  one  of  the  earliest  .settlers  from  France, 
and  of  a  family  well  known  in  history,  a  lady  who  had  been  in  Detroit  (hu'ing 
the  siege  of  the  IJritish  garrison  by  Ponteac,  now  abandoned  siKJculation,  and 
contenting  himself  with  the  remnant  of  his  fortune,  establLshed  him.self 
near  the  banks  of  the  river,  within  a  short  disUince  of  the  liloody  llun.  Here 
he  continued  througliout  the  Revoltition.  Early,  however,  in  the  present 
century,  he  quitted  Detroit  and  repaired  to  the  CanaiJian  shore,  where  on  a 
property  nearly  opposite,  which  he  obtained  in  exchange,  and  wliich  in  honor 
of  his  native  country  he  named  Strabane — known  as  such  to  t'.iS  day — he 
pass<*d  the  autumn  of  his  days.  The  last  time  I  beheld  him,  was  a  da}*  or 
two  sub.secpient  to  the  aU'air  of  the  Thames,  whei^  General  Uarri.sou  and 
Colonel  John.son  were  temporary  inmates  of  his  dwelling. 

My  father,  of  a  yoim^^er  branch  of  the  Annandale  fauv  -he  head  of  which 
was  attainted  in  the  Scotti.sh  rebellion  of  1745,  was  an  llicer  of  Simcoe's 
well-known  Rangers,  in  which  regiment.  an<l  al)out  the  same  period,  the 
present  Lord  Hardinge  commenced  \vs  services  in  this  country.  l>eiug  quar- 
tered at  Fort  Erie,  he  met  and  married  at  the  house  of  one  of  the  earliest 
Canadian  merchants,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Erskine  then  on  a  visit  to  her  .sister, 
and  by  her  had  eight  children,  of  whom  I  am  the  oldest  and  only  siu'vlvoi. 
Having  a  few  years  aifter  his  marriage  been  ordered  to  St.  Jo.seph's.  uejtr 
Michillimackinac,  my  father  thouglitit  expedient  to  leave  mc  with  Mr.  Erokine 
at  Detroit,  where  I  received  the  Ih'st  rudiments  of  my  e«hication.  But  hcie 
1  did  not  remain  long,  for  it  was  during  the  period  of  the  stay  of  the  detach- 
ment of  Simcoe's  Rjingers  at  St.  Joseph  that  ^Ir.  Erskine  repaired  witli  his 
family  to  the  Canadian  shore,  where  on  the  more  elevated  and  conspicuous 
part  of  dus  grounds  which  are  sitiuite«l  nearly  opposite  the  foo^  of  Hog 
Island,  ho  repeatedly  alluded  to  \n  Wacousta.  he  had  cause<l  a  Hag-stalf  to  he 
ereeted.  from  which  each  S!ib))ath  day  proudly  lloativl  the  colors  under  which 
h«  had  served  and  never  could  orin^  hiui.s'elf  to  disown.    It  was  at  Strabane 


IT 


INTRODUCTION. 


*♦ 


women  who  were  instructed  to  conceal  them  uniler  thtir  blankets,  and  dnring 
the  game,  and  seemingly  without  design,  to  approach  the  drawbridge  of 
the  fort  This  precaution  tak<'n.  the  players  were  to  approach  and  throw 
over  their  ball,  permission  to  regain  which  they  presumed  would  not  bo  de- 
nied. On  approaching  the  drawbridge,  they  were  with  fierce  yells  to  make 
a  general  rush,  and,  securing  the  arms  conceaknl  by  the  women,  to  inassacro 
the  unprepared  garrison.  The  day  was  fixed — tho  game  commenced,  and 
was  proceeded  with  in  the  manner  previously  arranged.  The  ball  was  dex- 
terously hurled  into  the  fort,  and  permission  asked  to  recover  it.  It  wa.*; 
granted.  The  drawbridge  was  lowered,  and  the  Indians  dashed  forward  for 
the  accomplishment  of  their  work  of  blood.  How  dillerent  the  result  in  the 
two  garrisons !.  At  Detroit,  Pontcac  »nd  his  warriors  had  scarcely  crDs.sed  the 
drawbridge  when  to  their  astonishment  and  disappointment,  they  beheld  the 
guns  of  the  ramparts  depressed — the  artillerymen  with  lighted  matches  at 
their  posts  and  covering  tne  little  garrison,  composed  of  a  few  companies  of 
the  42d  Highlanders,  who  were  also  under  arms,  and  so  distributed  as  to  take 
the  enemy  most  at  an  advantage.  Sullenlj  they  withdrew,  and  without 
other  indication  of  their  purpose  than  what  had  been  expressed  in  their  man- 
ner, and  carried  off  the  missing  ball.  Their  design  had  been  discovered  and 
made  known  by  means  of  significant  warnings  to  the  Governor  by  an  Indian 
woman  who  owed  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  his  family,  and  was  resolved,  at  all 
hazards,  to  save  them.  On  the  same  day  the  same  artifice  was  resorted  to  at 
Michillimackinac,  and  with  the  most  complete  success.  There  was  no  guardian 
angel  there  to  warn  them  of  danger,  and  all  fell  beneath  the  rifle,  the  toma- 
hawk, the  war-club,  and  the  knife,  one  or  two  of  the  traders — a  Mr.  Henry 
among  the  rest — alone  excepted. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  event,  when  the  head  of  the  military  authorities 
in  the  Colony,  apprised  of  the  fate  of  these  defeated  posts,  and  made  acquainted 
with  the  perilous  condition  of  Fort  Detroit,  which  was  then  reduced  to  the 
last  extremity,  sought  an  oflBcer  who  would  volunteer  the  charge  of  supplier 
from  Albany  to  Buffalo,  and  thence  across  the  lake  to  Detroit,  which,  if  possi- 
ble, he  was  to  relieve.  That  volunteer  was  promptly  found  in  my  maternal 
grandfather,  Mr.  Erskine,  from  Strabane,  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  then  an  offi- 
cer in  the  Commissariat  Department.  The  difliculty  of  the  undertaking 
will  be  obvious  to  those  who  understand  the  danger  attending,  a  journey 
through  the  Western  wildernes.s  beset  as  it  was  by  the  warriors  of  Pontoac, 
ever  on  the  look  out  to  prevent  succor  to  the  garrison,  and  yet  the  duty  waa 
Jiuccessfully  accomplished.  He  left  Albany  with  provisions  and  ammunition 
sufficient  to  fill  several  Schenectady  boats — I  think  seven — and  yet  conducted 
his  charge  with  such  prudence  and  foresight,  that  notwithstanding  the  vigi- 
lance of  Ponteac,  he  finally  and  after  long  watching  succeeded,  under  cover  of 
a  dark  and  stormy  night,  in  throwing  into  the  fort  the  supplies  of  which  the 
remnant  of  the  gallant  "  Black-watch,"  as  the  42d  was  originally  named,  and 
a  company  of  whom,  while  out  reconnoitering,  had  been  massacred  at  a  spot  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  town,  thereafter  called  the  Bloody  Run,  stood  so  greatly  ir 
need.    This  important  serroe  rendered,  Mr.  Erakine,  in  compliance  with  tb 


h- 


■i 


I 


IN'TRODUCTIOH. 


m 


poaiible.  No  one  who  has  ever  seen  these  erections  on  the  small  forts  of  that 
day,  would  pronounce  the  same  criticism.  Never  very  lofly,  they  were 
•acended  at  least  one-third  of  their  height  by  means  of  small  projections  nailed 
to  them,  for  footholds  for  the  artillerymen,  frequently  compelled  to  clear  the 
flag  lines  entangled  at  the  truck ;  therefore  a  strong  and  active  man,  such  as 
Wacousta  is  described  to  have  been,  might  very  well  have  been  supposed,  in 
his  strong  anxiety  for  revenge  and  escape  with  his  victim,  to  have  doubled 
his  strength  and  activity  on  so  important  an  occasion,  rendering  that  easy  of 
attainment  by  himself,  which  an  ordinary  and  unexcitcd  man  might  deem 
impossible.  I  myself  have  knocked  down  a  gate  almost  without  feeling  the 
resistance,  in  order  to  escape  the  stilettoes  of  assassins. 

The  second  objection  is  to  the  narrowness  attributed,  in  the  tale,  to  the  river 
St  Olair.  This  was  done  in  the  license  usually  accorded  to  a  writer  of  fiction, 
in  order  to  give  greater  efibct  to  the  scene  represented  as  having  occurred  there 
and  of  course  in  no  way  intended  as  a  geographical  description  of  the  river, 
nor  was  it  necessary.  In  the  same  spirit  and  for  the  same  purpose,  it  has 
been  continued. 

It  will  be  seen  that  at  the  termination  of  the  tragedy  enacted  at  the  bridge, 
by  which  the  Bloody  Kun  was  in  those  days  crossed,  that  the  wretched  wiib 
of  the  condenmed  soldier  pronounced  a  curse  that  could  not  of  course  well  be 
flilfilled  in  the  course  of  the  tale.  Some  few  years  ago  I  published  in  Can- 
ada — I  might  as  well  have  done  so  in  Kamtschatka — the  continuation,  which 
was  to  have  been  dedicated  to  the  last  King  of  England,  but  which,  after  the 
death  of  that  monarch,  was  inscribed  to  Sir  John  Harvey,  whose  letter,  as 
making  honorable  mention  of  a  gallant  and  beloved  brother,  I  feel  it  a  du^ 
to  the  memory  of  the  latter  to  subjoin.* 

The  Prophecy  Folfilled,  which,  however,  has  never  been  seen  out  of  the 

small  country  in  which  it  appeared,  Detroit  perhaps  alone  excepted,  embraces 

and  indeed  is  intimately  connected  with  the  Beauchamp  tragedy,  which  took 

^ 

*  •'  OovBBNM Birr  HorsB,  FiiDBBicTOif,  N.  B^  Noten^er  26th,  1839. 

"  DiAB  Sib, — I  am' favored  with  your  very  Intereeting  oommunieation  of  the  2d  in? 
Maat,  by  which  I  learn  that  yoa  are  the  brother  of  two  youths,  whose  gallantry  and 
merits — and  with  regard  to  one  of  thoui,  his  suCTorings — daring  the  lata  war,  excited  my 
warmest  admiration  and  sympathy ;  I  beg  you  to  believe  that  I  am  far  from  insensible  t< 
the  affecting  proofs  which  you  hare  made  known  to  me  of  this  grateful  recollection'  of  any 
little  senrioe  which  I  may  have  had  it  in  my  power  to  render  them ;  and  I  will  add  that 
the  desire  which  I  folt  to  serve  tho  father,  will  be  found  to  extend  itself  to  the  son,  if  youi 
nephew  should  ever  find  himself  under  oireumstanoee  to  require  from  me  any  senrioe  which 
U  may  be  within  my  power  to  render  him. 

"  With  rogard  to  ycur  very  flattering  proftosition  to  inscribe  your  preaent  work  to  ma. 
I  can  only  say  that,  independent  of  the  respect  to  which  the  author  of  so  vary  oharminga 
inodoetion  aa  '  Waoonata"  is  entitled,  the  interesting  facts  and  oiroumstanoaa  M  onazpaoi- 
adly  brought  to  my  knowledge  and  recollection,  would  ensure  a  f»dj  aoquiesoenoe  oo  Bf 


part 


"  Xi^  RieHABOiov, 


**  I  remain,  dear  Sir,  your  very  fUthftil  aarran^ 
(Signad) 


•*J.  Haavn. 


# 


••• 

TIU 


INTKODUCTIOH. 


place  at  or  near  Weisigor's  Ilotcl,  in  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  where  I  had 
many  years  before  confined  as  a  prisoner  of  war.  While  oonnecting  it  wHIi 
the  Propbecy  Fclfillcd.  and  making  it  subservient  to  the  end  I  had  hi 
riew,  I  had  not  read,  or  even  heard  of  the  existence  of  a  work  of  the  samt 
character,  which  had  already  appeared  from  the  pen  of  an  Amerie&&  author. 
Indeed,  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  "  Prophecy  Fulfilled,**  although  not 
published  until  aflcr  a  lapse  of  years,  was  the  first  written.  No  simikriij 
H  treatment  of  the  subject  exists  between  the  two  vendona,  and  this,  belt 
Mmembered,  I  remark  without  in  the  slightest  degree  impugning  the  merit  of 
the  production  of  my  fiallew  laborer  in  the  lamo  field 

Tn  AvnoB. 

NiW  YOHK  OiTT,  ♦  -- 

Jaaaaiy  111,  1811.  '     • 


•   » 


{■     -I'M. 
•    I    .  .      .  t 


I  '     *"«      t,  if.    ■: 


I.  ■!■>'(;   r  ■ 

N       1-     .  J,    li 


<     V 


.'.'  , 


•  t , 


,ft.  1.' 
it-- 


■       '       i 

'■■•■'■'  "'] 


..   .:^,-   ,    . 


^t»Vl»il    ^" 


M  ( 


* 


.lv:.:;-r, 


HI-  ;>-n  T*^ 


4 


d 

it  with 

had  ia 

tesaiM 

rathor. 

ighnot 

liUritj 

B,be1l 

i6rit  of 


■1 


X 


.1*^ 


ijsii 


WACOUSTA;   OR,  THE  PROPHECY. 


|i 


CHAPTER  I 

It  was  during  thft  midnight  watch,  late  in  September,  1763,  that  the 
English  garrison  of  Detroit  was  thrown  into  the  utmost  consternation  by 
the  sudden  and  mysterious  introduction  of  a  stranger  withir  its  walls.  The 
circumstance  at  this  moment  was  particularly  remarkable;  for  the  period 
was  so  fearful  and  pregnant  with  events  of  danger,  the  fort  being  assailed 
on  every  side  by  a  powerful  and  vindictive  foe,  that  a  caution  and  vigilance 
of  no  common  kind  were  vmooasingly  exercised  by  the  prudent  governor  for 
the  safety  of  those  committed  to  his  charge.  A  long  series  of  hostilities  had 
been  pursued  by  the  North  American  Indians  against  the  subjects  of  Eng- 
land, within  the  few  years  that  had  succeeded  to  the  final  subjection  of  the 
Oanadus  to  her  victorious  arms :  and  many  and  sanguinary  were  the  con- 
flicts in  wlii<:li  the  devoted  soMiery  were  made  to  succumb  to  the  cunning 
and  numbers  of  their  savage  enemies.  In  those  lone  regions,  both  olIi(^ers  and 
men.  in  their  respective  ranks,  were,  by  a  communionship  »f  suil'ering.  isolation, 
and  peculiarity  of  duty,  drawn  towards  each  other  with  feelings  of  almost 
fraternal  aflection :  and  the  fates  of  those  who  fell  were  lamented  with  sin- 
cerity of  soul,  and  avenged,  when  opportunity  oJfercd,  with  a  determination 
prompted  equally  by  indignation  and  despair.  This  sentiment  of  union,  ex- 
isting even  between  men  and  officers  of  diftcrent  corps,  was,  with  occasional 
exceptions,  of  course  doubly  strengthened  among  those  who  fought  under 
the  same  colors,  and  acknowledged  the  same  head ;  and,  as  it  often  hap- 
pened in  Canada,  during  this  interesting  peridtl,  that  a  single  regiment  was 
distributed  into  two  or  tl.ree  fortresses,  earh  so  far  removed  from  the  other 
that  communication  could  with  the  utmost  fat;ility  lie  cut  off,  the  anxiety  and 
uncertainty  of  these  detachments  became  proportioned  to  the  danger  with 
which  they  knew  themselves  to  be  more  immediately  beset.  The  garrison 
of  Detroit,  at  the  date  above  named,  consisted  of  a  third  of  the ; —  regi- 
ment, the  remainder  of  which  occupied  the  forts  of  Michillimackinac  and  . 
Niagara,  and  to  each  divifiion  of  this  regiment  was  attached  an  officer's  com- 
mand of  artillery.  It  is  true  that'  no  immediate  overt  act  of  hostility  had 
for  seme  time  been  perpetrated  by  the  Indians,  who  were  assembled  in  force 
around  the  former  garrison ;  but  the  experienced  oflBcer  to  whom  the  com- 
mand had  been  intrusted  was  too  sensible  of  the  craftiness  of  the  surround- 
ing hordes  to  be  deceived,  by  any  outward  semblahce  of  amity,  into  neglect 
of  those  measures  of  precaution  which  were  so  indispensable  to  the  security 
of  his  trust. 

In  this  he  -pursued  a  line  of  policy  happily  adapted  to  the  delicate  nature 
of  his  position.  Unwilling  to  excite  the  anger  or  wound  the  pride  of  the 
chiefs^  Iby  any  outward  manifestation  of  distrust,  he  affected  to  confide  in  ' 
the  smcerity  of  their  professions,  and,  by  inducing  his  officers  to  mix  occa- 
sionally in  their  councils,  and  his  men  in  the  amusements  6f  the  inferior  * 
warriors,  contrived  to  impress  the  conviction  that  he  reposed  altogether  on 
their  faith.  But,  although  these  acts  were  in  some  degree  coerced  by  the 
necessity  of  the  times,  and  a  perfect  knowledge  of  all  the  misery  that  must 
accrue  to  them  in  the  event  ,x)f  their  provoking  the  Indians  into  acts  of  open 
hostility,  the  prudent  governor  took  such  precautions  as  were  deemed  effiaent 
to  defeat  any  treacherous  attempt  at  violation  of  the  tacit  treaty  on  the  part 


k% 


\    , 


./ 


10 


wacousta;    or,    the    prophbcy, 


of  the  natives.  The  oflBcers  never  ventured  out,  unless  escorted  by  a  portion 
oftheirmen,  who,  although  appearing  to  b«  dispersed  among  the  warriors^ 
still  kept  sufficiently  together  to  be  enabled,  in  a  moment  of  emergency,  to  af- 
ford succor,  not  only  to  each  other,  but  to  their  superiors.  On  these  occa- 
sions, as  a  further  security  against  surprise,  the  troops  left  within  were  in- 
structed to  be  in  readiness,  at  a  moment's  warning,  to  render  assistance,  if  ' 
necessary,  to  their  companions,  who  seldom,  on  any  occasion,  ventured  out 
of  reach  of  the  cannon  of  the  fort,  the  gate  of  which  was  hermetically 
closed,  while  numerous  supernumerary  sentinels  were  posted  along  the 
ramparts,  with  a  view  to  give  the  alarm  if  anything  extraordinary  was  ob- 
served to  occur  without. 

Painful  and  harassing  as  were  the  precautions  it  was  found  necessary  to 
adopt  on  these  occasions,  and  little  desirous  as  were  the  garrison  to  mingle 
with  the  natives  on  such  terms,  still  the  plan  was  piu-sued  by  ^e  governor 
from  the  policy  already  named :  nay,  it  was  absolutely  essential  to  the  fXiture 
interests  of  England  that  the  Indians  should  be  won  over  bj'  acts  of  confidence 
and  kindness ;  and  so  little  disposition  had  hitherto  been  manifested  by  the 
English  to  conciliate,  that  every  thing  was  to  be  apprehended  from  the  un- 
taueable  rancor  with  which  these  people  w^  rn  but  too  well  disposed  to  repay 
a  neglect  at  once  galling  to  their  pride  and  injurious  to  their  interests. 

Such,  for  a  term  of  many  mpnths,  had  been  the  trying  and  painfull  duty 
that  had  devolved  on  the  governor  of  Detroit ;  when,  :n  the  summer  of  1763, 
the  whole  of  the  western  tribes  of  Indians,  as  if  actuated  b}'^  one  common  im- 
pulse, suddenly  threw  off  the  mask,  and  commenced  a  series  of  the  most 
savage  trespasses  upon  the  English  seltlers  in  the  vicinity  of  the  several  gar- 
risons, who  were  cut  off  in  detail,  without  mercy,  and  without  refercHce  to 
either  age  or  sex.  On  the  first  alarm  the  weak  bodies  of  troops,  as  a  last 
measure  of  security,  shut  themselves  up  in  their  respective  forts,  where  they 
were  as  incapable  of  rendering  assistance  to  others  as  of  receiving  it  them- 
selves. In  this  emergency  the  prudence  and  forethought  of  the  governor  of 
Detroit  wei-e  eminently  conspicuous ;  for.  having  long  loreseen  the  possibility 
of  such  a  crisis,  he  had  caused  a  plentiful  supply  of  all  that  was  necessary  to 
the  subsistence  and  defence  bfthe  garrison  to  be  provided  at  an  earlier  period, 
so  that,  if  foiled  in  their  attempts  at  stratagem,  there  was  little  chance  xhat 
the  Indians  would  speedily  reduce  them  by  famine.  To  guard  against  the 
former,  a  vigilant  watch  was  constantly  kept  by  the  garrison  both  day  and 
night,  while  the  sentinels,  doubled  in  number,  were  constantly  on  the  alert. 
Strict  attention,  moreover,  was  paid  to  such  parts  of  the  ramparts  as  Vero 
considered  most  assailable  by  a  cunning  and  midnight  enemy  ;  and,  in  order 
to  prevent  any  imprudence  on  the  part  of  the  garrison,  all  egress  or  ingress 
w^as  prohibited  that  had  not  the  immediate  sanction  of  the  chief.  With  this 
view  the  keys  of  the  gate  were  given  in  trust  to  the  officer  of  the  prunrd  ;  to 
whom,  however,  it  was  interdicted  to  use  them  unless  bv  direct  n-  j^ositivo 
order  of  the  governor.  In  addition  to  this  precaution,  t'be  scntiuei.s  on  duty 
at  the  gate  had  strict  private  instructions  not  to  suft'er  ftny  one  to  pass  either 
in  or  out  unless  conducted  by  the  governor  in  person :  and  this  restriction 
ejctended  even  to  the  oflBccr  of  the  guard. 

Such  being  the  cautious  discipline  establi!*hed  in  the  fort,  the  appearance  of 
a  stranger  within  the  walls  at  the  still  hour  of  midnight  could  not  fail  to  b« 
regarded  as  an  extraordinary  event,  and  to  excite  an  apprehension  which  could 
scarcely  have  been  surpassed  had  a  numerous  and  armed  band  of  sava^s  sud- 
•  denly  appeared  among  them.  The  first  intimation  of  this  fact  was  given  fej 
the  violent  ringing  of  an  alarm  bell ;  a  rope  communicating  w'*\  ..l.IvL  was 
8}ispended  in  the  governor's  apartments,  for  the  purpose  of  a*- jusing  the  slum> 
benng  soldiers  in  any  case  of,  pressing  emergency.  Soon  afterwards  the 
governor  himself  was  seen  to  issue  from  bus  roftms  in  the  open  area  of  the 
parade,  clad  in  his  drefwing-gown,  and  bearing  a  lamp  in  one  nand  and  a  n»* 
ked  Hword  in  the  other.    His  countenance  was  pale,  and  his  f^jitures,  violently 


wacousia;  or,  the  prophecy. 


11 


agitated,  betrayed  a  sotirce  of  alarm  which  those  who  were  familiar  with  his 
usual  haiHihtiiU'Ss  of  manner  wvvq  W.  able  to  coniprelumd. 

•'Which  way  did  he  go? — why  stand  y<?  Ik-TC? — follow — pursue  him 
(juickly — lot  hiin  not  es(!ape.  on  your  lives  !"  These  sentences,  hurriedly  and 
impatiently  viltu-od.  were  addressed  to  the  two  sentinels  who,  stationed  in 
front  of  his  upaitrn'-nts,  had.  on  the  first  sound  of  alarm  from  the  portentous 
bell.  lo<\-erod  their  muskets  to  the  eharjre.  and  now  stood  immovable  in  that 
position. 

•'Who  does  your  honor  mane?"  replied  one  of  the  men,  startled,  yet 
brinpimr  his  arms  to  the  "  Recover."  in  sa'lutation  of  his  chief. 

"  Wh}',  the  niJin — the   straii'.'er — the  follow  who  has  just   passed  you." 

"  Not  a  livinjr  soul  has  jjas^cd.  us  since  our  watch  commenced,  your  honor," 
observed  the  second  .sentinel ;  "and* we  have  now  been  ^ere  upwards  of  an 
hour." 

•'Impossible,  sirs:  ye  have  been  asleep  on  yogr  posts,  or  ye  must  have 
seen  him.  He  passed  this  way.  and  cduld  not  have  escaped  your  obsQrvation 
had  ye  been  attentive  to  your  duty."  #    " 

'•Well.  sur(\  and  your  honor  knows  bist."  njoinod  the  first  sentinel ;  "but 
80  hilp  mo  St.  f*a trick,  as  T  have  sifN'ed  man  and  boy  in  your  honor's  rigi- 
ment  this  twelve  years,  not  even  the  fitch  of  a  man  has  pa,ssed  me  this 
blissed  night.  And  here's  my  comrade,  Jack  Halford.  who  will  take  his 
Bible  oath  to  the  same,  with"  all  due  difirince  to  your  honor."  '  The  pithy 
reply  to  this  eloquent  attempt  at  exculpation  was"  a  brief  •'Silence,  sirrah, 
walk  about !" 

The  men  brought  their,  muskets  once  more,  and  in  silence,  to  the  shoulder, 
and  in  obedience  to  the  command  of  their  chief,  resumed  thf  ir  limit'^d  walk  j 
cro.«!sing  each  other  at  regular  intervals  in  the  course  that  enfiladed,  as  it  were, 
the  only  entrance  to  the  governor's  apartments. 

Meanwhile  everything  was  bustle  and  commotion  among  the  garrison, 
who,  roused  from  sleep  by  the  appalling  sound  of  the  alarm  boll  at  that  ln,te 
hour,  were  hastily  arming.  Throughout  the  obscurity  might  be  seen  the 
flitting  forms  of  men.  who.se  already  fully  accoutred  per.sons  proclaimed  them 
to  >)e  of  the  "iiard  ;  while  in  the  lofty  barracks,  numerous  light.s  flashing  to 
and  fro  and  movin?  with  rapidity,  attestetl  the  alacrity  with  which  the  ti-oops 
ort"  duty  \vor»'  njuipping  for  some  service  of  more  than 'ordinary  interest.  So 
noisoioss  too,  was  this  pi-eparation,  as  fAr  as  speech  was.  concerned,  that  the 
oic.isioiial  opening  and  shutting  of  pans,  and  ringing  of  ramrods  to  ascertain 
the  ellioiency  of  the  muskets,  migh*  be  heard  distinctly  in  the  Btillne%  of  tlni 
night  iit  a  distance  of  many  Airlongs. 

He.  however,  who  had  touched  the  secret  spring  of  all  this  picturesque 
movou)ent,  whatever  might  be  his  gratification  and  approval  of  the  prompti- 
.tude  with  which  the  summons  to  arms  had  been  answered  by  his  bravo  troops, 
wa»s  far  from  being  wholly  satisfleti  with  the  scene  he  had  conjured  up.  Re- 
covered from  the  first  and  irrepressible  agitation  which  had  driven  him  to 
sound  the  tocsin  of  alarm,  he  felt  how  derogatory  to  his  military  dignity  and 
proverl»ial  coolness  of  character  it  might  be  considered,  to  have  awakened  a 
whole  garrison  from  their  slumbers,  when  a  few  files  of  the  guard  wojild 
have  answered  his  purpose  equally  well.  Besides,  so  much  time  had  been 
suffered  to  elapse,  that  the  stranger  might  have  escaped  ;  and  if  so.  how  many 
might  be  disposed  to  ridi(;ule  his  alarm;  and  consider  it  as  ^anatnig  from  an 
imagination  disturbed  by  sleep,  rather  than  causetl  by  the  actual  presence  of 
one  endowed  like  thems«>lves  with  theAculties  of  speech  and  motion.  For  a 
moment  he  hesitated  whether  he  .should  not  countermand  the  summons  to 
ai^ms  '.vhich  had  been  so  precipitately  given ;  but  when  he  recollected  the 
harrowing  threat  that  had  been  i)rcathed  in  his  ear  by  his  midnight  risitorj— 
when  he  i-eflected,  moreover,  that  even  now  it  was  probable  he  was  lurkine 
within  the  precincts  of  > the  fort  with  a  view  to  the  destruction  of  all  thatU 
contained,— when,  in  .short,  he  thought  of  the  itnminent  danger  that  must 


IS 


WAC0U9TA 


O  R 


THE     PROPHECir. 


it  • 


attend  thorn  should  he  be  sufferod  to  escape, — he  felt  the  necessity  of  precau- 
tion, and  determined  on  his  measures,  even  at  the  risk  of  manifesting;  a  pru- 
dence which  niiffht  be  construed  unfavorably.  On  re-entering  his  apartments, 
he  f*und  his  orderly,  wjjo,  roused  by  the  midnight  tumult,  stood  waiting  to 
receive  the  conunands  of  his  chief 

"  Desire  Major  lilackwater  to  come  to  me  immediately."     The  mandate  was 
.quickly  obeyed.     In  a  few  seconds  a  .short,  thick-set  and  elderly  oflicer  made 
his  appearancx'  in  |i  gray  military  undress  frock. 

'•  Bia(,'kwater.  we  have  traitors  within  the  fort.  Let  diligwjt  search  be 
made  in  every  jiart  of  the  l)arracks  for  a  '■tninger,  an  enemy,  who  has  man- 
aged to  procure  admittance  arriong  us :  let  every  nook  and  cranny,  everjr 
empty  ca.sk,  be  examined  forthwith  ;  and  cause  a  number  of  ailditional  senti- 
nels to  be  stationed  along  the  ramparts,  in  order  to  intercept  his  escape." 

••  Good  heaven,  is  it  possible  ?"  .said  the  major,  wiping  the  perspiration  from 
his  bi'ows.  thoiKih  the  night  was  imusually  chilly  for  the  season  of  the  year  :— 
.    "  how  couid  he  eontrive  to  enter  a  place  so  vigilantly  guarded  ?• 

"  Ask  me  not  how,  BUickwater,"  returned  the  governor,  seriously  :  '•  let  it 
suffice  that  he  has  been  in  thi||very  room,  and  that  ten  minutes  since  ne  stood 
where  you  now  stand." 

The  major  looked  aghast. — "  God  ble.ss  me,  how  singular  !  How  could  tht 
savage  contrive  to  obtaui  atlmis.sion  ?  or  was  he  in  reality  an  Indian  ?"  '  "  No 
more  questions,  Major  Blackwater.  Hasten  to  distribute  the  men,  and  lot 
diligent  search  be  made  everywhere ;  and  recollect,  neither  officer  nor  man 
courts  his  pillow  until  dawn."  , 

The  "  iiiiijor"  emphatically  prefixed  to  his  name  was  a  sufficient  hint  to  the 
stout  officer  that  the  doubts  thus  familiarly  expressed  were  here  to  cease,  and 
that  he  was  now  addressed  in  the  language  of  authority  by  his  superior,  who 
.  expected  a  direct  an<l  prompt  compliance  with  liis  orders.  He  therefore 
slightly  touched  his  hat  in  .salutation,  and  withdrew  to, make  the  dispositions 
that  had  been  enjoftied  by  his  colonel. 

0)1  regaining  the  parade,  he  caused  the  men,  already  forming  into  compa 
nies,  and  answering  to  the  roll-call  of  .their  respective  non-<^^imissioncd 
oflicers,  to  be  wheeled  into  square,  and  then  in  a  low  but  distinct  voice  stated 
the  cause  of  alarm  ;  and,  having  communicated  the  orders  of  the  governor, 
finished  by  recommending  to  each  the  exercise  of  the  niostf  scrutinising  vigi- 
lance ;  as  on  the  discovery  of  the  individual  in  question,  and  the  means  by 
which  he  had  contrived  to  procure  admission,  the  safety  of  the  whole  garri.son. 
it  wa-^  evident,  musr depend. 

Th.e  .soldiers  now  dispersed  in  small  parties  throughout  the  interior  of  the 
fort,  while  a  select  body  were  conducted  to  the  ram|Srts  by  the  otticcrs  them- 
selves, and  distributed  J)etween  the  .sentinels  already  posted  there,  ir^  sucX 
numbers,  and  at  such  di.stances,  that  it  appeared  im|)0.ssible  any  thing  wearing 
"*  Che  human  form  could  pass  them  unperceived.  even  in  the  ob.scurity  that 
reigned  around. 

\Vhen  this  duty  was  accomplished,  the  offlcws  procee<led  to  the  posts  of 
the  several  sentinels  who  had  been  planted  since  the  last  relief,  to  ascertain 
if  any  or  either  of.  them  had  ob.><erved  aught  to  justify  the  belief  that  an  ene- 
my had  sueceeile<l  in  scaling  the  works.  To  all  their  inquiries,  however,  they 
rccwvod  a  negative  reply,  acf'ompanied  l)y  a  dedaiation,  more  or  less  positive 
with  each,  that  sueh  had  been  their  vigilance  during  the  watch,  had  any  per- 
son come  \\ithin  their  beat,  detection  yuist  have  lujen  inevitable.  Tl»e  first 
question  was  put  to  the  sentinel  stationed  at  the  gate  of  the  fort,  at  which 
jwint  the  whole  of  the  officers  of  the  garrison  were,  with  one  or  two  exi;ep- 
tions,  now  assembled.  The  man  at  nrst  evinced  a  good  deal  of  (infusion  ; 
but  this  might  arise  from  the  singular  fact  of  the  alariw  that  had  been  p:iven, 
and  the  o(|ually  singular  circumstjince  of  his  being  thus  clos('IS-  interrogate*! 
by  the  collo^'ve  body  of  his  officers  :  he,  however,  persisted  in'declnring  that 
H  h«  had  been  m  no  witte  inattentive  to  his  dut} ,  and  that  no  cause  for  alarm  oi 


*/ 


wacousta;  or,  the  prophecy. 


19' 


fiiisircion  hafll  occurred  noaV  his  post.  The  ofHcc-rs  thon,  in  order  to  Mw  time, 
sei)iiruLod  into  two  parties,  pursuing' opposite  circuits  anri  iirr.m<ring  to  meet 
at  that  point  of  the  ramparts  which  was  immediately  in  the  rcjir,  an<l  over- 
lookinp  the  centre  of  the  seflriicirctilar  sweep  of  wild  forest  which  circumvented 
the  fort. 

''  Well.  Blcssington.  T  know  not  what  you  think  of  this  iort  of  work."  ob- 
served Sir  Evtrard  Valletort,  a  young  lieutenant  of  the regiment,  re- 
cently arrived  from  England,  and  of  the  party  who  now  traversed  the  ram- 
part to  the  rif  ht ;  •'  but  confound  me  if  I  would  cot  rather  be  a  biirber's 
apprentice  in  liOndon.  upon  nothing,  and  find  my.sell  than  contilme  a  life  of 
tliis  kind  much  longer.  It  positively  quite  knocks  me  up  ;  for  what  with 
early  risings,  and  watchings — I  had  almost  added  prayings — I  am  but  the 
shadow  of  my  former  self." 

"Hist,  Valletort.  hist !  speak  lower."  said  Captain  Bll^sington,  the  senior 
officer  present,  '•  or  our  search  must  be  in  vain.  Poor  fellow  !"  he  pursued, 
laughing  low  and.  good  humored!}'  at  the  picture  of  miseries  thus  soleti.nlj 
emuuerated  by  his  stibaltern  ; — "  how  much,  in  truth,  are  you  to  be  pitied,  ■ 
who  have  so  recently  basked  in  all  the  sunshine  of  enjoyment  at  home.  For 
our  parts,  we  have  lived  so  long  amid  these  savage  .scenes,  that  we  have  al- 
most forgotten  what  luxury,  or  even  comfort,  means.  Doubt  not,  my  friend, 
that  in  time  you  will,  like  us,  be  reconciled  to  the  chinge." 

"  Oonfound  me  for  an  idiot,  then,  if  1  give  myself  time,"  replied  Sir  Everard, 
atiectedly.  ••  It  was  only  nve  minutes  before  that  cursed  alarm  bell  was 
sonu'lcd  in  ray  ears,  that  I  had  made  up  xfiy  mind  fully  to  resign  or  exchange 
the  in.'^tant  1  could  do  so  with  credit  to  myself;  and,  I  am  sure,  to  be  called  out 
of  a  warm  hed  at  this  lyiseasonable  hour  offers  Httle  inducement  for  me  to 
change  my  opinion." 

"  Resign  or  exeharige  with  credit  to  yourself!"  sullenly  observed  a  stout 
tall  officer  of  about  fifty,  who.se  spleen  might  well  be  accounted  for  in  his 
rank  of  "Ensign"  Delme.  "  Methinks  there  can  be  little  credit  in  exchang- 
ing or  resigning,  when-  one's  companions  are  left  l»ehind,  and  in  a  post  of 
dancer."  / 

•'  |{y  Jasus.  and  ye  may  .say  that  with  your  own  pritty  mouth,"  remarked 
another  veteran,  who  answered  to  the  name  of  Lieutenant  Murphy ;  "  for  it 
isn't  now.  while  we  are  surrounded  and  bediviled  by  the  savages,  that  any  man 
of  the regiment  should  be  after  talking  of  bating  a  retrate." 

"I  scarcely  understand  you.  gentlemen,"  warmly  and  quickly  retorted  Sir 
Everard.  who.  with  nil  his  dandyism  ami  effeminacy  of  manner,  was  of  a  hi^ 
and  resolute  spirit.     *'  Do  either  of  you  fancy  that  I  want  courage  to  face  a 
positive  danger,  because  I  may  not  happen  to  have  any  particular  vulgar  pre 
dilection  for  <'arly  rising  ?" 

'  Nonsense,  Valletort,  non.sense,"  internipted,  in  accents  of  almost  feminine 
sweetness,  his  friend  Lieutenant  Charles  do  Haldimar,  the  yotmgest  son. 
of  the  governor :  ''  Murphy  is  an  eternal  echo  of  the  opinions  of  those  who 
look  forward  to  promotion  ;  and  as  for  Delme— do  you  not  see  the  drift  of  his 
obseiTation?  Should  yoti  retire,  as  yop  have  threatened,  of  course  another 
lieutenant  will  be  appointed  in  your  stead ;  but.  should  yoii  chance  to  lose 
your  scalp  during  the  struggle  with  the  savages,  the  step  goes  in  the  regiment, 
and  he,  being  the  senior  ensign,  obtains  promotion  in  con.sequence." 

''  Ah !".  observed  Captain  Blessington.  "  this  is  indeed  the  greatest  curse 
attachtnl  to  the  profession  of  a  soldier.  Even  among  those  who  most  esteem, 
and  are  drawn  towards  each  other  as  well  by  fellowship  in  itleasnro  as  com- 
panionship in  danger,  this  vile  and  debasing  |)rinciple — this  msatiablo  desire  . 
for  personal  advancement — is  certain  to  intrude  itself;  since  we  feel  that  over 
the  manglcHl  bodies  of  o\ir  dearest  friends  and  companions,  we  can  alone  hope 
to  attain  proformant  and  dinlinction. 

Thif^  conversation,  interrupted  otily  by  occasional  questioning  of  the  sen- 
tinols  whom  thoy  pa8so<l  in  their  circuit,  was  carried  on  in  ap  audible  whisper 


fi 


wacousta;    or,   the    prophecy, 


^ 

* 


Ih 


which  the  close  approximation  of  the  parties  to  each  other,  and  the  profound 
stillness  of  the  night,  enabled  them  to  hear  with  distinctness. 

When  the  conversation  dropped,  the  party  pursu^  their  course  in  silence. 
They  had  just  passed  the  last  sentinel  posted  in  their  line  of  circuit,  and  were 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  immediate  r^r  of  the  fortress,  when  a  sharp 
"  Hist  I"  and  sudden  halt  of  their  leader,  Captain  Blessington,  threw  them 
ill  into  an  attitude  of  the  most  profound  attention. 

"  Did  you  hear  ?"  he  asked  m  a  subdued  whisper,  after  a  few  seconds  of 
ulence,  in  which  he  had  vainly  sought  to  catch  a  repetition  of  the  sound. 
Assuredly,"  he  pursued,  finding  that  no  one  answered,  "  I  distinctly  heard 


ft  human  groan. 


Where? — in  what  direction?"  asked  Sir  Everard  and 


De  Haldimar  in  the  same  breath. 

"  Immediately  opposite  to  us  on  the  common.  But  see,  here  are  the  re> 
mainder  of  the  party  stationary,  and  listening  also." 

They  now  stole  gently  forward  a  few  paces,  and  were  soon  at  the  side  of 
their  companions,  all  of  whom  were  straining  their  necks  and  bending  their 
heads  in  the  attitude  of  men  listening  attentively." 

"  Have  you  heard  anything,  Erskme  ?  asked  Captain  Blessington  in  the 
lame  low  whisper,  and  addressing  the  officer  who  led  the  opposite  party. 

"Not  a  sound  ourselves,  but  here  is  Sir  Everard's  black  servant,. Sambo, 
who  has  just  riveted  our  attention,  by  declaring  he  distinctly  heard  a  groan 
,  towards  the  skirt  of  the  common."  "  He  is  right,"  hastily  rejoined  Blessing* 
ton  ;  ••  I  heard  it  also." 

Again  a  death-like  silence  ensued,  during  which  the  eyes  of  the  party  were 
strained  eagerly  in  the  direction  of  the  common.  The  night  was  clear  and 
Starr}',  yet  the  dark  shadow  of  the  broad  belt  of  forest  threw  all  that  part 
of  the  waste  which  came  within  its  Immediate  range  into  impenetrable  ob- 
scurity. 

"  Do  you  see  anything  ?"  whispered  Valletort  to  his  friend,  who  stood  next 
him :  '•  look — look  1"  and  he  pointed  with  his  finger.  "  Nothing,"  returned 
De  Haldimar.  after  an  anxious  gaze  of  a  minute,  "  but  that  dilapidated  old 
bomb-proof." 

"  See  you  not  something  diark,  and  slightly  moving,  immediately  in  a  line 
with  the  left  angle  of  the  bomb-proof?"  De  Haldimar  looked  again.  "  I  do 
begin  to  fancy  I  see  something,"  he  replied  ;  "  but  so  confusedly  and  indis- 
tinctly, that  I  know  not  whether  it  be  not  merely  an  illusion  of  my  imagin- 
fttion.  Perhaps  it  is  a  stray  Indian  dog  devouring  the  carcass  of  the  wolf 
foxx  shot  yesterday."         -    , 

"  Be  it  dog  or  devil,  here  is  ft)r  a  trial  of  his  vulnerability.  Sambo,  quick. 
my  rifle." 

The  young  negro  handed  to  his  master  one  of  those  long  heavy  rifles, 
which  the  Indians  usually  make  choice  of  for  killing  buffalo,  elk.  and  other 
animals  whose  wildness  renders  them  difficult  of  approach.  He  tnen,  unbid- 
den, and  as  if.  tutored  to  the  task,  placed  himself  in  a  stifl'  upright  position  in 
front  of  his  master,  with  every  nerve  and  muscle  braced  to  the  most  inflex- 
ible steadiness.  The  young  officer  next  threw, the  rifle  on  the  right  shoulder 
of  the  boy  for  a  rest,  and  prepared  to  take  hie  aim  on  the  object  that  had  first 
sttracted  his  attention. 

"  Make  haste,  massa, — him  go  directly, — Sambo  see  him  get  up." 

All  was  breathless  attention  among  the  group  of  officers }  and  when  the 
sharp  ticking  sound  produced  by  the  cocking  of  the  rifle  of  their  companion 
fell  on  their  ears,  they  bent  their  gaze  upon  the  point  towards  which  the  mur- 
derous weapor.  wng  levelled  with  the  most  aching  and  inten.se  interest. 

"  Quick,  quick,  massa, — him  quite  up,"  again  whispered  the  boy. 

The  words  had  scarcely  passed  his  lips,  when  the  crock  of  the  rifle,  followed 
by  a  bright  blaze  of  light,  sounded  throughout  tho  stillness  oCthe  night  with 
•xcitinji  sharpaess.  For  an  instant  all  was  hushed ;  but  scarcely  had  tho  dis- 
tant woods  ceased  to  reverberate  tho  spirit-stirring  echoes,  when  the  anxioua 


H 

''1 

1 

¥  A 

>M     1 

i  "1 

'1 

ft 

ll 

ar 


w.acousta;  or,  the  prophecy. 


15 


lere  are  the  re- 


group of  officers  were  surprised  and  startled  bj'  a  sudden  flash,  the  report  of 
a  se<on(l  ritie  from  the  «pmmon,  and  the  whizzing  of  a  bullet  past  their  ears. 
This  was  instantly  succeeded  by  a  fierce,  wiH,  and  prolonged  cry,  expressive 
at  once  of  triumph  and  revenge.-.  It  was  that  peculiar  cry  which  an  Indian 
(itterH  when  the  reeking  scalp  has  b'een  wrested  from  his  murdered  victim. 

"  Missed  him,  as  I  am  a  sinner,"  exclaimed  Sir  Everard,  springing  to  his 
feet,  and  knocking  the  butt  of  his  rifle  on  the  ground  with  a  movement  of  im- 
patience. ''  Sambo,  you  young  scoundrel,  it  was  all  youi-  fault, — you  moved 
your  shoulder  as  I  pulled  the  trigger.  Thank  heaven,  however,  the  aira  of  the 
Indian  appears  to  have  been  no  better,  although  the  sharp  whistling  of  his 
ball  proves  his  piece  to  have  been  well  levelled  for  a  random  shot." 

"  His  aim  has  been  too  true,"  faintly  pronounced  the  voice  of  one  somewhat 
In  the  rear  of  his  companions.  "  The  ball  of  the  villain  has  found  a  lodg- 
ment in  my  breast.  God  bless  ye  all,  ray  boys ;  may  your  fates  be  more 
lucky  than  mine  !"  While  he  yet  spoke,  Lieutenant  Murphy  sank  into  the 
arms  of  Blessingtou  and  De  Ualdimar,  who  had  flown  to  him  at  the  first  in- 
timation of  his  wound,  aild  was  in  the  next  instant  a  corpse. 


,i  >  . 


0^  r 


OHAPTER  II. 


"  To  your  companies,' gentlemen,  to  your  companies  on  the  instant.  Tliere 
is  treason  in  the  fort,  and  we  had  need  of  all  our  diligence  and  caution.  Cap- 
tain De  Ualdimar  is  missing,  and  the  gate  has  been  found  unlocked.  Quick, 
gentlemen,  quick ;  even  now  the  savages  may  be  around  us,  though  unseen." 

"  Captain  De  Haldimar  missing ! — the  gate  unlocked  !"  exclaimed  a  number . 
of  voices.     ■'  Impossible ! — sui'ely  we  are  not  betrayed  by  our  own  men." 
■'  The  sentinel  has  been  relieved,  and  is  now  in  irons,"  resumed  the  communi- 
cator of  this  startling  piece  of  intelligenqe.     It  was  the  adjutant  of  the  regi- 
ment. 

"  Away,  gentlemen,  to  your  posts  immediately,"  said  Captain  Blessington, 
who,  aided  by  De  Ualdimar,  hastened  to  deposit  the  stiffening  body  of  the 
unfortunate  Murphy,  which  thty  still  supported,  upon  the  rampart.  Then 
addiessing  the  adjutant,  •'  Mr.  Lawson,  let  a  couple  of  files  be  sent  immedi- 
atel}'  to  remove  the  body  of  their  officer." 

"  That  shot  which  I  heard  from  the  common,  as  I  approached,  was  not  fired 
at  random,  I  find,"  observed  tJie  adjutant,  as  they  all  now  hastily  descended 
to  join  their  men,  "'  Who  has  fallen  ?"  "  Murphy,  of  the  grenadiers,"  was  the 
rt'ply  of  oni!  near  him. 

•^I'oor  follow!  our  work  commences  badly,"  resumed  Mr.  Lawson: 
''Murphy  killed,  and  Captain  De  Haldimar  missing.  We  had  few  oflic«n 
en()Uf;;U  to  s|)iire  before,  and  their  loss  will  be  severely  felt;  I  greatly  fear,  too, 
tlu-.'^e  casualties  may  have  a  tendency  to  discourage  the  men." 

"  N'otbing  more  easy  than  to  supply  their  place,  by  promoting  some 'of  our 
oldest  sergeants,"  ob.served  Ensign  Delme,  who,  as  well  as  the  ill-fated  Mur- 
phy, had  risen  from  the  ranks.  "If  they  behave  themselvex  well,  the  jking 
will  coiilinii  tlieir  appointments."  . 

*  [{lit  my  poor  Id-other,  what  of  him,  Law.son  ?  what  have  you  learnt  oon- 
nectod  with  his  disiipijeaiance '?"  asked  Charles  de  Haldimar  with  deep  emo- 
tion. "  Nothing  satisfactory,  T  am  sorry  to  say,"  retimed  the  adjutant:  "to 
fact,  the  whole  affair  is  a  mystery  which  no  one  can  unravel ;  even  at  this  mo- 
picnt  tlio  sentinel,  Frank  Halloway,  who  is  strongly  suspected  of  being  privy 
to  his  disappearance,  is  undergoing  a  private  examination  by  your  father,  tht 
governor."       -  > 

"Frank  Haik way  !"  repeated  the  youth  with  a  start  of  astonishment t  * 


n 


16 


WACOISTA 


OR,     THE      PROPHECY 


m 


t    ' 


i 


i! 


"  surely  Hallo\Tay  could  never  prove  a  traitor. — and  especially  to  my  urother 
whose  life  he  once  saved  at  the  peril  of  his  own." 

The  officers  had  now  srained  the  parade,  when  the  "  Fall  in,  gentlemen,  fell 
in."  quickly  pi-ononnced  by  Major  Blackwater,  prevented  all  further  question- 
ing on  the'  part  of  the  younger  De  Haldimar.  The  scene,  though  circum- 
scribed in  limit,  was  picturesque  in  effect,  and  might  have  been  happily  illus- 
trated \r<  tho  pencil  of  the  painter.  The  immediate  area  of  the  parade  was 
filled  witli  armed  men.  distributed  into  three  divisions,  and  forming,  with  their 
respective  ranks  facing  outwards,  as  man}'  sides  of  a  hollow  square,  the  mode 
of  defence  invuriably  adopted  by  the  governor  in  all  cases  of  sudden  alarm. 

In  a  few  minutes  from  the  falling  in  of  the  officers  with  their  respective 
companies,  the  clank  of  irons  was  heard  in  the  direction  of  the  guard-room, 
and  several  forms  were  seen  slowly  advancing  into"  the  area  already  occupied 
as  we  have  described.  This  party  was  preceded  by  the  adjutant  Lawson,  who, 
advancing  to\vards  Major  Blackwater,  communicated  a  message,  that  was  fol- 
lowed by  tho  command  of  the  latter  officer  for  the  three  divisions  to  face  in- 
wards. The  officer  of  artiller}-  also  gave  the  word  to  his  men  to  form  lines 
of  single  files  immediately  in  the  rear  of  their  re.'^pective  gimSj  leaving  space 
enough  for  the  entrance  of  the  approaching  party,  which  consisted  of  half  a 
dozen  files  of  the  guard,  under  a  non-commissionjd  officer,  and  one  whose 
manacled  limbs,  rather  than  liis  unaccoutred  uniform,  attested  him  to  be  not 
merely  a  prisoner,  but  a  pri.soner  confined  for  some  serious  and  flagrant  of- 
fence. 

This  party  now  advanced  through  the  vacant  quarter  of  the  square,  and 
took  their  stations  immediately  in  the  centre.  Here  the  countenances  of  each, 
and  particularly  that  of  the  prisoner,  who  was,  if  we  may  so  terra  it,  the  cen- 
tre of  that  centre,  were  thrown  into  strong  relief  by  the  bright  glare  of  the 
torches,  .<o  that  the  features  of  the  pri.soner  stood  revealed  to  those  around  as 
plainly  as  if  it  had  been  noon  day.  Not  a  sound,  not  a  murmur,  escaped  frona 
the  ranks :  but."  though  the  etiquette  and  .strict  laws  of  military  discipUne 
chained  all  speech,  the  workings  of  the  inward  mind  remained  unchecked ;  and 
as  they  recogni.'sed  in  the  prisoner  Frank  Ilalloway,  one  of  the  bravest  and 
boldest  in  the  field,  and  as  all  h.id  hitherto  imagined,  one  of  the  most  devoted 
to  his  duty  an  irrepressible  thrill  of  amazement  and  dismay  crept  throughout 
the  frames,  and  for  a  moment  blanched  the  cheeks  of»those  especially  who  bo- 
longed  to  the  same  company.  On  being  .summoned  from  their  fi-uitless  search 
after  the  straniier,  to  fall  in  without  delay,  ii  had  been  whisjjered  among  the 
men  that  treason  had  crept  into  the  fort,  and  a  traitor,  partly  dctecte«l  in  his 
crime,  had  been  arrested  and  thrown  into  irons:  but  the  idea  of  Frank  Ilallo- 
way being  that  traitor  was  the  last  that  could  have  entered  into  their  ^loughts, 
awi  yet  they  now  beheld  him  covered  with  everv  mark  of  ignominy,  and  rtbout 
to  answei-  his  high  oHence,  in  all  luunan  probability,  with  his  life. 

With  the  oflicers  the  reputation  of  Ilalloway  for  courage  air:  fidelity  stood 
no  less  high ;  but,  while  they  secretl\'  lamented  the  circumstaii.  is  of  his  defal- 
cation, they  could  not  disguise  froin  themselves  the  almost  certainty  of  his 
guilt,  for  each,  as  he  now  gazed  upon  the  i)risoner.  recollected  the  confusion 
and  hesitation  of  manner  he  had  evinced  when  questioned  by  them  preparatory 
to  their  ascending  to  the  ramparts.  f 

Once  more  the  suspense  of  the  moment  was  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of 
other  forms  into  the  area.  They  wi;re  those  of  the  adjutant,  followed  by  a 
drummer,  bearing  his  instrument,  and  the  governor's  orderly,  charged  with 
pens,  ink.  paper,  and  a  book  which,  from  its  peculiar  form  and  color,  every 
one  present  knew  to  be  a  copy  of  the  articles  of'M'ar.  A  variety  of  contending 
emotions  passed  through  the  breasts  of  many,  as  they  witnessed  the  siU-nt 
^  progress  of  these  preparations,  rendered  pilinfully  interesting  by  the  peculiarity 
•f  their  position,  ami  the  wildness  of  the  hour  at  which  they  tjuis  found  them- 
selves as.scmbled  together.  The  prisoner  himself  was  unmoved :  he  stood 
proud,  calm,  and  fearless,  amid  the  guard,  of  whom  he  had  so  recently  formed 


WACOUSTA 


O  R 


THE      PROPItECY 


It 


one;  and  thouu^i  his  countonanf'o  was  jtalc,  as  much,  jii-rhaps.  from  a  scose  of 
the  i^'noininio'is  cliarictar  in  which  ho  appeared  as  I'roiii  more  private  con- 
siderations, sli;!  tliore  was  nothinij  to  denote  eith'.r  the  abjectness  of  fear  or 
the  conscioiisn.;-s  of  m>iiLeii  disgrace.  O'loe  or  twice  a  low  sobbing,  that  pro- 
ceeded at  iiAervals  from  one  of  tiie  Ijarrack  windows,  cau,f!;ht«}iis  i-ar.  and  he 
turned  liis  ;rlanee  in  tbat  direction  with  a  restless  anxiety,  wliich  he  exerted 
himself  in  tlie  instant  aflerwarls  to  repress ;  but  this  was  the  ^nly  mark  of 
emotion  he  betrayed. 

The  above  uisj)i)siiions  havin;;  been  hastily  made,  the  a<ljutant  and  liis  as- 
si.stants  onco  mure  retired.  After  the  lapse  of  a  minute,  a  tall  martial-looking 
man,  habited  in  a  blue  military  fro(;k,  and  of  handsome,  thougli  stern,  haughty, 
and  intiexible  features,  entered  tlie  area.  He  was  followctl  by  Major  Black- 
water,  the  eaptaui  of  artillery,  and  Adjutant  Lawson. 

"Are  the  garrison  all  present,  Mr.  Law.son?  are  the  officers  all  present?'* 

"  All  except  those  of  the  guard,  sir,"  replied  the  adjutaht.  touching  his  hat 
with  a  submission  that  was  scrupulously  exacted  on  all  occa.sions  of  duty  by 
his  superior. 

The  governor  passed  his  liand  for  a  moment  over  his  brows.  It  seemed  to 
those  around  him  as  if  tlio  mention  of  that  guard  had  called  up  recollections 
which  gave  him  pain ;  and  it  might  be  so,  for  his  eldest  son,  Captain  Frederick 
de  Ilaldnnar,  bail  (;ommanded  the  guard.  Whither  he  had  disappeared,  or  in 
what  manner,  no  one  kno,v. 

"  Are  the  artillery  ail  pie.sent,  Captain  ^V"eutwol•th  ?"  agjiin  demanded  the 
governor,  after  a  mojucnl  of  silence,  and  in  his  wonted  lirm  authoritative  voice. 

"Ail  i)resent,  sir,"  rejoined  the  olhcer,  following  the  exaniple  of  the  adju- 
tant, and  saluting  his  chief. 

•  Then  let  a  drum-head  court-martial  bo  assembled  inunediately,  Mr.  Law- 
eon,  and  without  reference  to  the  roster  let  the  senior  oflicei's  be  selected." 

The  a  IjuLant  went  round  to  the  respective  divisions,  and  in  a  low  voice 
wai-nod  Captain  Blessington,  and  the  four  senior  subalterns,  for  that  duty. 
One  by  one  the  officers,  as  they  were  severally  called  upon,  left  their  places 
in  the  square,  and  sheathing  their  swords,  stepped  into  that  part  of  the  area 
appointcnj  as  their  temporary  court.  They  were  now  all  asscipbled,  and  Cap- 
tain Blessington,  the  senior  of  his  rank  in  the  garrison,  was  preparing  to  ad- 
minister the  customary  oaths,  when  the  prisoner  Ilalloway  advanced  a  pace 
or  two  in  front  of  liis  escort,  and  removing  his  cap,  in  a  clear,  fiim,  but  re-  • 
Kpectful  voice,  thus  aildressod  thc'govcrnor  : — 

"  Colonel  (le  Ilaldimar,  that  I  am  no  trait»r,  as  I  have  already  told  you, 
the  Almighty  God,  before  whom  I  swore  allegiance  to  his  majesty,  can  bear 
me  witness.  Appear.ances.  I  own,  are  against  me :  but^  .so  far  from  being  a 
traitor,  I  would  have  iihcd  my  last  drop  of  blood  in  defence  of  the  garrison  and 
your  family.  Colonel  de  Ilahliniar."  he  pursued,  after  a  momentary  pause,  in 
which  he  seemed  to  be  stragglmg  to  subdue  the  emotion  which  rose,  despite 
of  lumself.  to  his  throat,  '"  1  repeat,  I  am  no  traitor,  and  I  scorn  the  imputa- 
tion— but  here  is  my  best  answer  to  the  charge.  This  wound,  (and  he  un- 
buttoned his  jacket,  opened  his  shirt,  and  disclosed  a  deep  scar  upon  his  white 
chest.)  this  wound  I  received  in  defence  of  my  captain's  life  at  Quebec.  Had 
I  not  loved  him,  I  should  not  so  have  exposed  myself,  neither  but  for  that 
should  I  now  stand  in  the  situation  of  shame  and  danger,  in  which  my  com- 
rades behold  me." 

Every  heart  was  touched  by  this  appeal — this  bold  and  manly  appeal 
to  the  consideration  of  the  governor.  The  oflSiccrs,  espcjially,  who  were  fully 
conversant  with  the  general  merit  of  Ualloway.  wore  deeply  afTectedL  and 
Charles  de  Haldimar — the  young,  the  generous,  tnc  feeling  Charles  de  Haldi> 
mar,  even  shed  tears. 

"What  mean  you,  prisoner  ?"  interrogated  the  governor,  after  a  short 
pause,  during  which  he  appeared  to  bo  weighirg  and  deducing  inferences  from 
the  ezprenions  just  uttered.    "  What  mean  you,  Hy  .itnting,  but  for  thcU  (al- 


18 


WAGOUSTA;     or,     the     PROPHBOr. 


luding  to  your  regard  for  Captain  do  Ilaldiraar)  you  would  not  now  be  in  this 
situation  of  shamo  and  danger  ?" 

The  prisoner  hesitated  a  moment ;  and  then  rejoined,  but  in  a  tone  that 
had  less  of  tii-mncss  in  it  than  before,—"  Colonel  de  Ilaidimar,  I  am  not  at 
liberty  to  sfate  my  meaning? ;  for,  though  a  pri\;ute  soldiei-,  1  respect  my  word, 
and  have  pledged  myself  to  secrecy." 

"  You  respect  your  word^and  have  plcdj^cd  yourself  to  secrecy !  W^at 
mean  you,  nian,  by  this  rhoJlomontade  ?  To  whom  can  you  have  pledged 
yourself,  and  for  what,  unless  it  be  to  some  .^ccrot  enemy  without  the  walls  ? 
Gentlemen,  proceed  to  yoiu*  duty  :  it  is  evident  that  the  man  is  a  tJ'aitor,  even 
from  his  own  admission.  On  my  life,"  he  pursued,  more  huniedly,  imd 
speaking  in  an  under  tone,  as  if  to  himself,  "  the  fellow  has  been  bribed  by, 

and  is  connected  with ."    The  name  escaped  not  ius  lips;  fur,  aware 

of  the  emotiop  he  was  betraying,  he  suddenly  checked  himself,  and  assumed 
his  wonted  stern  and  authoritative  bearing. 

Once  more  the  prisoner  addressed  the  governor  in  the  same  clear,  firm  voice 
in  which  he  had  opened  his  appeal. 

"  Colonel  de  Haldiraar,  I  have  no  connection  with  any  livin*  soul  without 
the  fort ;  and  again  I  repeat,  I  am  no  traitor,  but  a  true  and  loyal  British 
soldier,  as  ray  .services  in  this  wdr,  and  my  toimvades,  can  well  attest.  Still, 
I  seek  not  to  shun  that  death  which  I  have  braved  a  dozen  times  at  least  in 

the regiment.     All  that  I  ask  is,  that  I  may  not  be  tried — that  I  may 

not  have  the  shame  of  hearing  sentence  pronounced  against  me  yet ;  but  if 
nothing  should  occur  before  eight  o'clock  to  vindicate  my  character  from  thi» 
disgrace,  I  will  otter  up  no  further  prayer  for  mercy.  In  the  name  of  that 
life,  therefore,  which  I  once  preserved  to  Captain  de  Haldimar,  at  the  price  of 
my  own  blood,  I  entreat  a  respite  from  trial  until  then." 

"  In  the  V  name  of  God  and  all  his  angels,  let  mercy  reach  your  soul,  and 
grant  his  prayer !"  ^  ' 

Every  car  was  startled — every  heart  touched  by  the  plaintive,  melancholy, 
silver  tones  of  the  voice  that  faintly  pronounced  the  last  appeal,  and  all  rec- 
ognized it  for  that  of  the  young,  interesting,  and  attached  wife  of  the  prisoner. 
Again  the  latter  turned  liis  gaze  towards  the  window  whence  the  sound  pro- 
ceeded, and  by  the  glare  of  the  torches  a  tear  was  distinctly  seen  by  many 
coursing  down  his  manly  cheek.  The  weakness  was  momentary.  In  the 
next  instant  he  closed  his  shirt  and  coat,  and  resuming  his  cap  stepped  back 
once  more  amid  his  guard,  where  he  remained  "stationary,  with  the  air  of  one 
who,  having  nothing  further  to  hope,  has  resolved  to  endure  the  worst  that 
can  happen  with  resignation  and  fortitude. 

After  the  lapse  of  a  few  moments,  again  devoted  to  much  apparent  deep 
thought  and  conjecture,  the  governor  once  more,  and  rather  hurriedly,  re- 
sumed,—  „ 

"  In  the  event,  prisoner,  of  this  delay  in-  your  trial  being  granted,  will  you 
pledge  yourself  to  disclose  the  scci-et  to  which  you  havealluded  ?  Recollect, 
there  is  nothing  but  that  which  can  save  your  memory  from  being  consigned 
to  infamy  for  ever ;  for  who,  among  your  comrades,  will  believe  the  idle  de- 
nial of  yoiir  treachery,  when  there  is  the  most  direct  proof  against  you  ?  If 
your  secret  die  with  you,  moreover,  every  honest  man  will  consider  it  as  hav- 
mg  been  one  so  infamous  and  injurious  to  your  character,  that  you  were  asham- 
ed to  reveal  it." 

These  suggestions  of  the  colonel  were  not  without  their  effect ;  for,  in  the 
sudden  swelling  of  the  prisoner's  chest,  as  allusion  was  made  to  the  aisgrace 
that  would  attach  to  his  memory,  there  was  evidence  of  a  high  and  generous 
spirit,  to  whom  obloquy  was  far  more  hateful  than  even  death  itself. 

"  I  do  promise,"  he  at  length  replied,  stepping  forward,  and  uncovering  him- 
self a.)  before, — "  if  no  one  appear  to  justify  my  conduct  at  the  "hour  f  have 
named,  a  full  disclosure  of  all  I  know  tduchmg  this  affair  shall  be  made.    And 


)w  be  in  this 

a  tone  that 
r  am  not  at 
fct  my  M-ortl, 

:'Cf !  Wkat 
lave  ple(l,m«i(l 
t  the  walls? 
traitor,  evoii 
iTii'flly,  and 
lirilwd  hy, 
;  for,  a  ware 
nd  assuinod 

r,  firm  voice 

)ul  without 
►yal  British 
test.  Still, 
I  at  least  in 
-that  I  may 
'/et;  but  if 
5r  from  thi» 
me  of  that 
;he  price  of 

r  soul,  and 

nelancholy, 
.nd  all  rec- 
re  prisoner, 
sound  pro- 
1  by  many 
y.  In  the 
sppod  back 
I  air  of  one 
worst  that 

arent  deep 
rriedly,  re- 

i,  will  you 
Recollect, 
:  consigned 
le  idle  de- 
you  ?  If 
'  it  as  hav- 
ere  asham- 

for,  in  the 
le  aisgrace 
1  generous 

• 

erinff  him- 
ur  1  havo 
ide.    And. 


«vacousta:  or.  the  prophecy. 


19 


may^God.  of  his  infinite  mercy,  grant,  for  Captain  de  Ilaldimar's  sake,  as  well 
as  inim-,  I  n»;iy  not  then  be  wholly  deserted  !" 

There-  \\;i.-<  .^onic'thinjr  so  peculiarly  .solemn  and  impressive  in  the  manner  in 
v/hiclj  the  nnhnppy  man  now  expi'essod  hiin,st>!f.  £hat  a  feeling  of  th^  utmost 
n we  crept  into  the  bo.soms  of  the  surrounding  throng;  and  more  than  one 
volei-sni  of  thf  jinnadiers.  the  company  to  wliich  Ilalloway  belpnged,  was 
heard  to  iclicvo  lii.-  chest  of  the  long  pent-up  sigh  that  struggled  for  releiise. 

''  Knougli,  prisom-r,"  rejoined  the  governor  ;  "  on  this  condition  do  I  grant 
vonr  request ;  but  n'voKect, — your  disclosure  eiisures  no  hope  of  pardon,  un- 
'  less,  inloi'd,  you  have  tlid  fullest  proof  to  otfcr  in  your  defence.     Do,you  per 
fectlj' umiei'.stand  me?" 

"  \  do,"  replied  the  .Soldier  lirmly  ;  and  again  be  placed  his  cap  on  his  head, 
and  j-etu"ed  a  stej)  or  two  back  among  the  guard. 

"  Mr.  Lawson.  let  the  prisoner  be  removeil,  and  conducted  to  one  of  the 
private  cells.     Who  is  the  subaltern  of  the  guard?" 

"  Kn.sign  Fortescue,"  was  the  answer.  •# 

"  Then  let  Ensign  Fortescue  keep  the  key  of  the  cell  himself.  Tell  him 
moreover.  1  shall  liold  him  individually  responsible  for  his  charge." 

Once  more  the  prisoner  wajj  marched  out  of  the  area  ;  and,  as  the  clanking 
sound  of  hi.s  chains  became  gradually  fainter  in  the  distance,  the  same  voice 
that  had  before  interrupted  the  proceedings,  pronounced  a  "  God  be  praised ! 
God  be  praised  1"  with  such  melody  of  sorrow  in  its  intonations  that  no  one 
[could  listen  to  it  unmoved.  Both  officers  and  men  were  more  or  less  affected, 
and  all  hopecl — they  scarcely  knew  why  or  what — but  all  hoped  something 
favorable  would  occur  to  save  the  life  of  the  brave  and  unhappy  Frank  Hal- 
lo way.  \ 

Of  the  first  interruption  b^  the  wife  of  the  prisoner  the  governor  had  taken 
no  notice ;  but  on  this  repetition  of  the  expression  of  her  feelinjM  he  briefly 
summoned,  in  the  absence  of  the  adjutant,  the  sergeant-major  of  the  regiment 
to  his  side. 

"  Sergeant-major  Bletson,  I  desire  that,  in  future,  on  all  occasions  of  this 
[kind,  the  women  of  the  regiment  may  be  kept  out  of  the  wa^.    Look  to  it, 
sir  !» 

JThe  sergeant-major,  who  had  stood  as  erect  as  his  own  halbcrt,  which  he 
leld  before'  him  in  a  saluting  po.sition,  during  this  brief  admonition  of  his 
)lonel.  acknowledged,  by  a  certain  air  of  deferential  respect  and  dropping  of 
fthe  e3'es,  unaccompanied  by  speech  of  any  kind,  that  he  felt  the  reproof,  and 
'  wmild,  in  future,  take  care  to  avoid  all  similar  cause  for  complamt.  He  then 
[stalked  stifliy  away,  and  resmued,  in  a  few  hasty  stride^  hia  position  in  rear 
fof  the  troops. 

"Hard-hearted  man  !"  pursued  the  same  voice:  "if  my  prayers  of  grati- 
rtude  to  heaven  give  offence, .may  the  hour  never  come  when  my  lips  shall 
Ipronounee  their  bitterest  curse  upon  your  severity !" 

There 'was  something  so  plainly  wild — so  solemnly  prophetic— in  these 
Jsouuds  of  sorrow  as  they  fell  faintly  upon  the  ear,  and  especially  under  the 
textraordlnarv  circumstances  of  the  night,  that  they  might  have  been  taken 
ifor  the  warnmgs  of  some  suj)ernatural  agency.  During  their  utterance,  not 
[even  the  breathing  of  human  life  was  to  be  heard  in  the  ranks.  In  the  next 
[instant,  however.  Sergeant-major  Bletson  was  seen  repairing,  with  long  and 
I  hasty  strides,  to  the  barrack  whence  the  voice  proceeded,  and  th^ntcrruption 
I  was  heard  no  more.  ,.  '•^' 

Meanwhile  .the  officers,  who  had  been  summoned  from  the  ranks  for  thi» 
purpose  of  forming  the  court-martial,  still  lingered  in  the  centre  of  the  square, 
ap|Mirently  waiting  for  the  order  of  their  superior,  before  they  should  resume 
their  respective  stations.  As  the  quick  and  comprehensive  glance  of  Colond 
de  llaldimar  now  embraced  the  group,  he  at  once  became  sensible  of  the  Ab- 
sence of  one  of  the  seniors,  all  of  whom  ho  had  desired  should  be  selected  tn 
the  couit-murtial. 


>       V 


\/ 


90 


wacousta;    or,    the    prophecy. 


■I 


-  k- 


N       / 


,>i 


*, 


«   1 


."Mr.  Lawson,"  he  remarkci.  somcwiiat  sternly,  as  the  adjutant  now  it>. 
turned  from  delivering  ov  >r  his  prisoner  to  Ensign  Fortescue,  "  I  thought  I 
understood  from  your  rey  jrt  the  officers  were  all  present !" 

"  T  helieve,  sir,  my  report  will  he  found  perfectly  correct,"  returned  th« 
adjutant,  in  a  tone  which,  without  heing  disrespectful,  marked  his  otlcnded 
sense  of  the  implication. 

"  And  Lieutenant  Miu-phv " 

'•  Is  here,  sir,"  said  the  adjutant,  pointing  to  a  couple  of  file^  of  the  guard, 
who  \vcre  bearing  a  heavy  burden,  and  following  into  the  square,  "lieuten- 
ant Murphy,"  he  pursued,  "has  been  shot  on  the  ramparts;  and  1  havi,  as 
directq^  by  Captnin  Blessington,  caused  the  body  to  be  brouL'ht  here,  that  1 
ma\'  receive  your  order><  respecting  the  interment,"  As  bespoke,  he  rembved 
a  long  military  grej'  cloak,  which  com])ktely  enshrouded  the  corpse,  and  dis- 
closed, by  till*'  liiiht  of  the  still  brightly  flaming;  torches  of  the  gunners,  the 
features  of  the  unfortunate  Murphy. 

"  How  did  he  meet  his  death  ?"  enquired  the  governor  ;  without,  however, 
manifesting  the  slightest  surprise,  or  appearing  at  all  moved  at  the  discovery. 
''  By  a  rifle  shot  fired  from  the  common,  near  the  old  bomb-proof,"  ob- 
served Captain  Blessington.  as  the  a(\)utant  looke<l  to  him  for  the  particular 
ezplanalion  he  could  not  render  himself. 

"  Ah  !  this  reminds  me,"  pursue<l  the  austere  commandant, — '•  there  was' a 
shot  tired  also  from  the  ramparts.     By  whom,  and  at  what  ?" 

"  By  me,  sir,"  said  Lieutenant  Valletort,  coming  forward  from  the  ranks. 
"  and  at  what  t  conceived  to  be  an  Indian,  lurking  as  a  sj)y  upon  the  common." 
"  Then.  Lieutenant  Sir  Everard  Valletort,  no  ropebition  of  these  firings,  if 
you  please  ;  and  let  it  be  borne  in  ujinil  by  all.  that  although,  from  the  pe- 
.culia''  nntm-e  of  the  service  in  which  we  are  eugago<l,  I  so  far  depart  from 
the  established  regulations  of  the  army  as  to  permit  my  olHcers  to  arm 
themselves  with  rilies,  they  are  to  be  used  only  as  occasion  may  require  in 
the  hoiu  of  contiict,  and  not  for  the  purpose  of  tiirowing  a  whole  garrison 
into  alarm  by  trials  of  skill  and  dexterity  upon  shadows  at  this  misea.sonablo 
hour." 

•'  I  was  not  aware,  sir,"  returned  Sir  Everard  proudly,  and  secretly  galled 
at  being  thus  arldre.ssed  before  the  men,  "  it  could  be  deemed  a  mihtary  crime 
to  desj^roy  an  enemy  at  whatever  hour  he  might  proent  himself,  and  esneci- 
ally  on  such  an  occasion  as  the  present.  As  for  iny  tiring  at  a  sihadow.  those 
who  heard  the  yell  that  followed  the  seconQ  shot,  can  determine  that  il  cauio 
from  no  shadow,  but  from  a  tierce  and  vindictive  enemy.  'I'he  cry  denoted 
even  something  more  than  the  ordinary  dctiance  of  an  Imlian:  it  .soeme»l  to 
express  a  fiendi.sh  sentiment  of  iwrsoaal  triumph  an<l  revenge." 

The  governor  started  involuntarily.  "  Do  you  imagine,  .Sir  Everard  Valle- 
tort, the  aim  of  your  riile  was  true — that  you  liit  him  ?" 

The  question  was  asked  so  Imrriediy,  and  in  a  tone  so  dillerent  from  that 

.in  wliich  he  had  hitherto  spoken,  thsit  the  officers  around  sinuiltancously 

raised  their  eyes  to  those  of  their  colonol  with  an  cxpres.sion  of  undis.scmbled 

surprise.     He  observed  it.  and  instantl}'  i-esumeil  hi.s  habitual  stenuicss  of 

look  and  manner. 

"  I  rather  fear  not,  sir."  replied  Sir  Everard,  who  had  principally  remarked 
the  etnotioii.  •  but  may  I  hope  (and  this  wa.s  said  with  emphasis),  in  the  evi- 
dent disapj)ointment  you  experience  at  my  want  of  success,  my  otfence  may 
be  overlook^  ?" 

The  go^Wior  fixed  his  penetrating  eyes  on  the  speaker,  as  if  he  would  have 
read  his  inmost  mind ;  and  then  calmly,  and  even  impressively  obiierved. — 

"Sir  Everard  Valletort,  I  do  overlook  the  otfence,  and  hope  you  may 
US  easily  forgive  yourself.  It  wore  well,  however,  that  your  imiiscrction, 
whidi  can  only  find  its  excuse  in  yoiu*  being  so  young  an  officer,  had  not  been 
iltoge;her  without  some  good  result.  Had  you  killed  or  disabled  the — the 
•avago,  there  might  have  been  a  decent  palliative  oifered     but  what  murt  b* 


pia 


'.IC 


J 


w  A  c  o  II  s  r  A  ;    o 


THE      P  R  <•  P  H  E  C  V 


31 


now  i-w- 
thought I 

imotl  thte 
.  oti'ended 


,he  guard. 
"  Ijeuten- 
1  hav«,  as 
ire.  that  1 
u  reni6vcd 
li,  and  (lis- 
nners,  the 

.  liowever, 

tliscovery. 

)roof,"  ob- 

particular 

lere  was' a 

the  ranks. 

common." 

liriugs,  if 

ni   the  pe- 

t'pavt  from 

rs   to  arm 

require  in 

le  garrison 

iseasonablc 

retly  galleil 
itary  crime 
and  esneci- 
nlow.  those 
lut  il  oumo 
:rv  denoted 
seeme«l  to 

rani  Valle- 

t  from  that 
iiltancously 
Kiisscmbled 
ternncss  of 

y  remarked 

in  the  evi- 

(il'once  may 

would  have 
^rvcd. — 
le  you  may 
indiscretion, 
ad  not  been 
ed  the— the 
vtX  mu3^  b* 


rouT  fee.inji-i.  sir.  when  you  rcfiwt.  the  derith  of  3011  oflJo- 1,''  «nd  he  poiijt(;d 
the  corpse  of  the  luihappy  Mni'phy'.  "  is  in  a  grcnt  <logrc(;  attributable  to 
yourself?     Had  you  not  pruvoki'd  tlio  anger  of  the  savagev  and  giv(.*n  a  direo 
ion  to  his  aim  by  the  iin])otent  and  wanton  discharge  of  yohr  own  rille.  this 
.•idont  would  never  have,  hajjpcned." 

Tliis  severe  reproving  of  an  ollicer.  who  had  acted  fi'im  the  most  jirais'e- 
rorth}'  of  motives,  and  who  could  not  possibly  have  anticipated  the  imfurlu- 
"ilate  <;atastrophe  that  had  oeeurred.  vvas  c<>nsid(Te«]  (7>iK.*oially  liarsh  and  im- 
kind  by  every  one  present ;  and  a  low  ami  almost  inaudible  murmur  passed 
through  the  company  to  which  Sir  Everard  was  attached.  For  a  minute  or 
tliro  that  oilicer  apjjcared  deciply  jjained  not  more  from  the  reproof  itself  than 
irom  the  new  light  in  which  the  observation  of  his  chief  liad  taught  him  to 
_  }W.  for  the  first  time,  the  causes  that  had  led  to  the  fall  of  Murphy.  Find- 
Ig,  liowever.  that  the  governor  hat!  no  further  remarks  to  address  to  him,  he 
ice  more  returned  to  his  stjition  in  the  ranks. 

"  Mr.  liawson,"  resumed  the  commandant,  turning  to  the  adiutant.  "  let 
""^is  victim  be  carried  to  the  spot  on  whic' ,  he  fell,  and  there  mterred.     I 
low  no  better  grave  for  a  soldier  than  beneath  the  sod  that  has  been  mois- 
icd  with  his  blood,     ilecollect,"  he  continued,  a.s  the  adjutant  once  more . 
the  jiarty  out  of  the  area. — "  no  firing.  Mr.  Lawson.     The  duty  must  be 
Jently  performed,  and  without  the  risk  of  provoking  a  forest  of  arrows,  or  a 
lower  of  builets.  from  the  savages.     Major  Blackwater."  he  pursued,  as  soon 
the  corpse  had  been  removed,  *'  Fbt  the  men  pile  their  arms  even  as  they 
>w  stand,  and  remain  ready  to  (idl  in  at  a  minute's  notice.     Should   any- 
king  extraordinary  happen  before*  the  morning,  you  will,  of  cour.se,  apprise 
lie  then  strode  out  of  the  area  with  the  .same  haughty  and  measured 
2j)  that  had  characterised  his  entrance. 

"  Our  eo'on«l  does  not  appear  to  be  in  one  of  his  most  amiable  moods  to- 
^ht,"  ob.served  Captain  Ble.s.sington,  as  the  oflBcers.  after  having  disposed, 
their  rospeytive  companies,  now  jiroceeded  along  the  ramparts  to  assist  at 
|e  last  funeral  offices  of  thi;ir  unhappy  a.ssociate.  "  lie  was  disposed  to  he 
rere.  and  must  have  put  you.  in  .<ome  mea.sure,  out  of  conceit  with  your 
rovile  rin6,  Valletort." 
IS?*'  True."  rejoined  the  baronet,  who  had  already  rallied  from  the  momentjiry 
di^res.sion  of  his  spirits,  "  he  lut  me  devili.sh  hard.  I  conf-.s.s.  and  was  disi>osed 
j^rdisplay  more  of  the  commauiling  officer  than  quite  .suits  my  ideas  of  the 
*"rvi-oe.  His  words  were  as  caustic  as  his  looks ;  and  could  both  hare  piero- 
ine  to  the  quick,  there  was  no  inclination  on  his  part  wanting.  By  my 
il  1  coultl  ....  but  I  forgive  him.  lie  is  the  father  of  my  friend :  andXor 
it  rt  ajon  will  I  chew  the  cud  of  my  mortification,  nor  suft'or.  if  possible, 
pense  of  !ii^  unk.mln.ss  to  rankle  at  my  heart.  At  all  events,  Blessington. 
min  I  i-  made  up  and  resign  Of  exchange  I  certainly  sh.all  the  instant  I 
^(1  a  'k'ci  nt  ioop-holc  to  creep  out  of." 

lir  Everard  fancied  the  ear  ot  his  captain  was  alone  listening  to  these  ex- 

fessions  of  his  feeling,  or  in  all  probability  he  would  not  have  uttered  them. 

he  concluded  the  last  sentence,  however,  he  felt  his  arm  gentl_v  graspe<l  by 

wiio  w'hlked  a  pace  or  two  sik'ntly  in  their  rear.     lie  turned,  and  recog- 

d  Charles  de  Ilaldimar. 

■*'  I  am  .sure,  A'alletort,  you  will  believe  how  much  pained  I  have  been  at 

severity  of  my  fatner  ;  but,  indeed,  there  wa^i  nothing  jfefKonally  oflTensivo 

Mided.     H'essington  can  tell  you.  as  well  as  myself  it  ii^his  manner  alto- 

Ihcr..    Nay,  that  although  he  is  the  first  in  seniority  after  Blackwater,  the 

r(M-nor  treats  him  with  the  same  distance  and  hauteur  he  would  use  towards 

fc  young^'st  ensign  in  the  service.     Such  are  the  effects  of  his  long  military 

^its,  and  his  ideas  of  the  absolutism  of  command.     Am  "I  not  right,  Bios* 

^gton  ?" 

["  Quite  right,  Charles.    Sir  Everard  may  satisfy  hhu.sclf  his  is  no  solkair 
Itance  of  the  stern  severity  of  your  father.    Still,  I  confess,  uotwithstano* 


I 


W  A  C  O  U  8  T  A 


OR,    THK     PROPHBCT 


S^^ 


m 

felv 


^i^ 


ing  the  rigidity  of  manner  which  he  seems,  on  all  occasions,  to  think  m  in- 
dispensable to  the  maintenance  of  authority  in  a  commanding  officer,  T  never 
knew  him  so  inclined  to  find  fault  as  he  Is  to-night." 

"  Perhaps  "  observed  Valletort,  good  humoredly,  "  his  consciei^co  is  rather 
restless  ;  and  he  is  willing  to  get  rid  of  it  and  his  spleen  altogether  I  would 
wager  m}'^  rifle  against  the  worthless  scalp  of  the  rascal  I  fired  at  to-night,  that 
this  same  stranger,  whose  asserted  appearance  has  called  us  from  our  comfort- 
able beds,  is  bat  the  creation  of  his  disturbed  dreams.  Indeed,  how  is  it  pos- 
sible anything  formed  of  flesh  and  blood  cou'.d  have  escaped  us  with  the  vigi- 
lant watch  that  has  been  kept  on  the  rampdrts  ?  The  old  gentleman  certainly 
had  that  illusion  strongly  impressed  on  his  mind  when  he  so  sapiently  spoke 
of  my  firing  at  a  shadow." 

"  But  the  gate,"  interrupted  Charles  de  Ihildimar,  with  something  of  mild 
reproach  in  his  tones, — "  you  forget,  Valletort,  the  gate  was  found  imlocked, 
and  that  my  brother  is  missing.  He,  at  least,  was  flesh  and  blood,  as  you 
say,  and  yet  he  has  disappeared.  What  more  probable,  therefore,  than  that 
this  stranger  is  at  once  the  cause  and  the  agent  of  his  abduction  ?" 

"  Impossible,  Charles^"  observed  Captain  Blessington ;  '•  Frederick  was  in  the 
midst  of  his  guard.  Ilow,  therefore,  could  he  be  conveyed  away  without  the 
alarm  being  given?  Numbers  only  could  have  succeeded  in  so  desperate  an 
enterprise ;  and  yet  there  is  no  evidence;  or  even  suspicion,  of  more  than  one 
individual  having  been  here." 

"  It  is  a  singular  affair  altogether,"  returned  Sir  Everard,  musingly.  ''  Of 
two  things,"  however,  I  am  satisfied.  The  first  is,  that  the  stranger,  whoever 
he  may  be,  and  if  he  really  has  been  here,  is  no  Indian;  the  second,  that  he 
is  personally  known  to  the  governor,  who  has  been,  or  I  mistake  much,  more 
alarmed  at  his  individual  presence  tlian  if  Ponteac  and  his  whole  band  had 
suddenly  broken  in  upon  us.  Did  you  remark  his  emotion,  when  1  dwelt  on 
the  peculiar  characfer  of  personal  triumiih  and  revenge  which  the  cry  of  the 
lurking  villain  outside  seemed  to  express  ?  and  did  you  notice  the  eagerness 
with  which  he  enquired  if  I  thought  1  had  hit  him  ?  Depend  upon  it,  there  is 
more  in  ?.ll  this  than  is  dreamt  of  in  our  philosophy." 

*'  And  it  was  your  undisguised  perception  of  that  emotion,"  remarked 
Captain  Blessington,  "  that  drew  down  his  severil}-  upon  your  own  b.ead;  It 
was,  however,  too  palpable  not  to  be  noticed  by  all ;  and  I  dare  say  conjecture 
is  as  busily  and  as  vaguely  at  work  among  om*  companions  aS  it  is  with  us. 
The  clue  to  the  mystery,  in  a  great  degree,  how  cl,wells  with  Frank  llalloway  j 
an^  to  him  we  must  look  for  its  elucidation.  His  disc-losure  will  be  one,  I 
apprehend,  full  of  igiiominy  to  himself,  but  of  the  highest  intei-est  and  im- 
portance to  us  all.  And  yet  I  know  not  how  to  believe  the  man  the  tiaitor 
he  appears." 

"  Did  you  remark  that  last  harrowing  exclamation  of  his  wife?"  observed 
Charles  de  Ilaldiniar.  in  a  tone  of  unspeakable  melancholy.  "  How  fearfully 
proplietic  it  sounded  in  my  ears.  I  know  not  how  it  is,"  he  pursued,  "  but  I 
wish  I  had  not  heard  those  sounds;  for  sinc^  chnt  moment  I  have  had  a  sad 
strange  presentiment  of  evil  at  my  heart.  Heaven  grant  my  }»oor  brother 
may  make  his  appearance,  as  T  still  trust  he  will,  at  the  hour  ILilloway  seems 
to  expect,  for  if  not,  the  latter  most  assuredly  dies.  I  know  my  father  well  j 
and,  if  convicted  by  a  court  martial,  no  human  power  can  alter  the  destii^y  that 
awaits  Frank  Ilallowaj."  • 

"  Rally,  my  dear  Charles,  rally,"  said  Sir  Everard,  affecting  a  confidence  ho 
did  not  feer himself;  *' indulge  not  in  these  idle  and  sujx'rstitious  fancies.  I 
pitv  llalloway  from  my  soul,  and  feel  the  dct']icst  interest  in  his  pretty  and 
unhappy  wife ;  but  that  is  no  reason  why  one  should  attach  importance  to  the 
incoherent  expressions  wrung  from  her  in  the  agony  of  grief." 

" It  is  kind  of  30U,  Valletort,  to  endeavor  to  clicer  my  spirits,  when,  if  the 
truth  were  confessed,  you  aekf  oivledge  the  int^uencc  of  tlie  &ime  feelings.     1 


cul 
ni;. 
that 


savj 
De 


feel 

Sli:n 

lit!' 

(w 

pro- 


log; 

1 

abr 


t ' 


Ro  in- 

never 


WACOUSTA 


OR,     THE     PROPHECV. 


23 


ihnnk  yon  for  the  attempt,  but  time  alono  can  show  how  fur  I  shall  have 
roason.  or  othorwise.  to  lament  the  o^curiciices  of  this  ni}j;ht." 

Theyliad  now  rouched  thiit  part  of  the  ramparts  whence  the  shot  from  Sir 
Evcranl's  rilie  had  hcon  rired.     Sovci;il  mun  worr  occupied  in  digging  a  grave 
ill  the  |))L'cise  sj)ot  on  which  the  imfortmiaH' ^lurphy  had  stood  when  he  re- 
ceived liis  death  wound  ;  and  into  tins,  when  comnleted,  the  body,  enshroud 
ed  in  the  cloak  already  alluded  to,  was  deposited  by  lys  companions 


CHAPTER  HI. 


if  • 


>e  one,  I 


"^1 


While  the  adjutant  was  yet  reading,  in  a  low  and  solemn  voice,  the  Kcrvico 
for  the  dead,  a  lierco  and  distant  veil,  as  if  from  a  legion  of  devils,  burst  sud- 
denly from  the  forest,  and  brou;rfit  the  hands  of  the  startled  officers  instino- 
ti\ily  to  their  swords*  This  apjialling  cry  lasted  withofit  interruption,  for 
nijiiiy  minutes,  nn^  was  then  us  abruptly  checked  as  it  had  been  unexpectedly 
deliveied.  A  considerable  pause  succeeded,  and  tlicn  it  rose  with  even  more 
staitluig  vehemence  than  before.  By  one  unaccustomed  to  those  devilish 
sounds,  no  distineti.)n  could  have  been  wade  in  the  two  several  yells  that  had 
been  thus  savaii-ely  ptsaled  forth  ;  Imt  those  to  whom  practice  and  long  expe- 
rience-in the  warlike  habits  and  customs  of  the  Indians  had  rendered  their 
siiouts  familiar,  at  once  divined,  or  fancied  they  divined,  the  cau.se.  The  first 
was,  to  their  c()n(;eption,  a  yell  expressive  at  once  of  vengeance  and  di.sappoint- 
nu'nt  in  puisuit. — periiaps  of  some  prisoner  wlio  had  escaped  from  their  toils; 
the  second,  of  triumph  and  success. — in  all  probability',  indicative  of  the  ro- 
canture  of  that  ))risoner.  Fo)'  many  minutes  afterwards  the  officers  continued 
to  listen,  with  the  most  aching  attenlion.  for  a  repetition  of  the  cry,  or  even 
fainter  sounds,  that  might  denote  either  a  nearer  approach  to  the  fort,  or  the 
iin:i!  ('.epariure  of  the  Indians.  After  the  second  3'ell.  however,  the  woods,  in 
the  heart  of  which  it  apjjcared  to  have  been  uttered,  were  buried  in  as  pro- 
found a  silence  as  if  they  had  never  )'et  echoed  back  the  voice  of  man ;  and  all 
at  leu'.>th  became  satislied  that  the  Indians,  having  accomplished  some  ]iarti- 
culai-  [unpose.  had  retired  once  more  to  their  distant  encampment  for  the 
ni^,!it.  Captain  Krskine  was  the  first  who  broke  the  almost  breathless  silence 
that  pi\'vaiied  among  themselves. 

"  On  my  life,  l)e  Haldimar  is  a  prisoner  with  the  Indians.  He  has  been  at- 
tomjiting  his  escape — has  been  detected, — followed,  and  again  fallen  into  their 
bunds.  I  know  iheii-  infernal  yells  b<it  too  well.  The  last  expressed  their 
Ravaue  joy  at  the  capture  of  a  prisoner  ;  and  there  is  no  one  of  us  missing  but 
be  Ilaldi"mar." 

•'Nni  a  doui»t  of  it."  said  Captain  Blessington ;  the  ci^ywas  certainly  what 
von  describe  it,  and  Ileiivcn  only  knows  what  will  be  tlie  fate  of  our  poor 
iViend." 

No  other  officer  spoke,  for  all  were  oppressed  by  the  weight  of  their  own 
feelin;^,  and  sought  ratlier  to  give  indulgence  to  speculation  in  secret,  than  to 
sh.ire  th'ir  impressions  with  tlieir  companions.  Charles  de  Haldimar  stood  a 
little  in  the  rear,  leaning  his  head  upon  his  hand  again.st  the  box  of  the  sentry, 
(who  was  silently  though  anxiously  pacing  his  walk.)  and  in  an  attitude  ex- 
pressive of  the  deepest  dejection  and  .sorrow. 

'•  I  suppose  1  nuist  linish  Lawson's  work,  although  I  am  but  a  poor  hand  at 
this  sort  of  thing."  resmne<i  Caj)tain  Erskine,  taking  up  the  pi-ayer  book  the 
ndjiitant  had,  in  hastening  on  the  first  alarm  t^  get  the  men  under  arms,  caro- 
le,ssly  thrown  on  the  grave  of  the  now  unconscious  Murphy. 

He  then  commenced  the  service  at  the  point  where  Mr.  Lawson  had  SO 
abruptly  broken  oil",  and  went  through  the  i-emainder  of  the  prayqrs.  A  very 
<feM  minutes  sullioed  foi  the  performance  of  tliis  solemn  duty,  which  was  afiectett 


%i. 


u 


tvacousta;  or,  the  prophecy.  ' 


¥i] 


m 


T-i 


\^  the  faint  dim  lin;ht  of  the  at  length  dawning  day,  and  the  men  in  attend 
ance  proceeded  to  fill  up  the  gi-ave  of  their  officer. 

Gradually  the  mists,  that  had  fallen  during  the  latter  howrs  of  the  night,, 
began  to  ascend  from  the  common,  and  disperse  themselves  in  air.  conveying 
the  appearance  of  a  rolling  sheet  of  vapor  retiring  back  upon  itself  and  dis- 
closing objects  in  succession,  until  the  eye  could  embrace  all  tluit  c.i.me  within 
its  extent  of  vision.  As  the  officers  yet  lingered  near  the  rude  grave  of  their 
companion,  watchiilg  Avith  abstracted  dir  the  languid  and  almost  mechanical 
action  of  thoir  Jaded  men,  as  they  emptied  shovel  after  shovel  of  the  damp 
«yirth  over  the  body  of  its  new  tciiant,  they  were  suddcnl}'  startled  by  an  ex- 
pression ol' exultation  from  Sir  Everard  Valletort. 

"Bv  Jupiter.  I  have  pinked  him,''  he  exclaimed  ti-iumphantly.  "I  knew 
my  ritle  could  not  err ;  and  as  for  my  sight.  T  have  carried  away  too  many 
prizes  in  target-shooting  to  have  been  deceived  in  that.  IIow  delighted  the 
old  governor  will  be,  Charles,  to  hear  this.  No  more  lecturing,  I  am  sure,'  for 
the  next  six  months  at  least ;"  and  the  young  officer  rubbed  his  hands  to- 
gether, at  the  succe^ss  of  his  shot,  with  as  much  satisfaction  and  unconcern  for 
the  future,  as  if  he  had  been  in  his  own  native  England,  in  the  midst  of  a 
prize-ring. 

Roused  by  the  observation  of  his  friend,  De  Halctimar  quitted  his  position 
near  the  sentry  box,  and  advanced  to  the  outer  edge  of  the  rampart.  To  him, 
as  to  his  companions,  the  outline  of  the  old  bomb-proof  was  now  distinctly 
vi.sible,  but  it  was  some  time  before  they  could  discover,  in  the  direction  in 
which  Valletort  pointed,  a  dark  speck  upon  the  common ;  and  this  so  indis- 
tinctly, they  could  scarcely  distinguish  it  with  the  naked  eye. 

"  Your  sight  Js  quite  equal  to  your  aim,  Sir  Everard."  remarked  Lieutenant 
Johnstone,  one  of  Erskine's  subalterns,  "  and  both  are  decidedly  superior  to 
mine  ;  yet  I  used  to  be  thought  a  good  rifleman  ^oo.  and  have  credit  for  an  eyo 
DO  le.ss  keen  than  that  of  an  Indian;  you  have  the  advantage  of  me,  however; 
for  I  honestly  admit  I  never  could  have  picked  olf  yon  fellow  in  the  dark  as 
you  have  (tone." 

As  the  (lawn  increased,  the  dark  shadow  of  a  human  form,  stretched  at  its 
length  Tipon  the  grouml,  became  perceptible  ;  and  the  officers,  with  one 
unanimous  voice,  bore  loud  testimony  to  the  skill  and  dexterity  of  him  who 
had,  uuflcr  such  extreme  disadvantages,  accomj/iisV'^d  the  death  of  their  skulk- 
ing enemy. 

'■  liravo,  Valletort,"  i^aid  Charles  de  lialdirnar,  recovering  his  spirit.^,  us 
murh  from  the  idea,  now  ocoiring  to  him,  that  this  might  indeed  be  the 
Rtraiiiier  whose  njipcnrance  had  so  greatly  disturbed  hi.s  father,  as  from  the 
gratilir.ition  he  felt  in  the  praises  bestowed  on  his  friend.  •'  IJravo.  my  dear 
fellow  !"  then  approaching,  and  in  a  iialf  whisper.  "  when  next  I  write  to 
Chmi.  1  shall  rt'ciucst  her,  with  my  cousin's  assistance,  to  prepare  a  chapletof 
bays,  wherewith  I  shall  myself  crown  you  as  their  proxy.  IJut  what  is  tho 
matter  now,  Valletort  ?  Why  stand  you  there  gazing  upon  the  connnon,  as 
if  the  victim  of  your  murderous  aim  was  rising  from  liis  bloody  couch,  to  ro- 
pro:ieh  yoii  with  his  deatli  ?  Tell  me.  shall  I  write  to  Clara  for  the  prize,  or 
will  you  receive  it  from  her  own  luinds  ?" 

"  liiii  her  rather  jumr  her  curses  on  my  head  ;  and  to  those.  Pe  lialdirnar, 
ttdd  your  own."  exclnimed  Sir  Kvtjrard,  at  lengtli  raising  himself  from  tho 
•tatue-like  position  he  had  nssiniied.  "Almighty  (iod,"  lie  puisutul,  in  tho 
same  tone  of  deep  agony,  "  what  IrivP  I  done  ?    Where  shall  I  hide  n\yself  ?" 

As  he  sjmke  h(!  turned  away  from  his  companions,  and  covering  his  eyes 
with  his  h;md,  with  quick  and  unequal  steps,  even  like  lh(We  of  u  drunken 
man,  walktTl,  or  rather  ran,  al»n(t  the  rampart,  as  '\f  fearful  of  being  over- 
taken. 1'he  whole  group  of  ollicers,  and  Charles  de  Ilaldimar  in  particular, 
were  stnick  with  disnuiy  at  the  language  and  action  of  Sir  Everard  ;  and  for 
a  moment  thev  fancied  that  fatiaiie,  and  watching,  and  excitement,  had  par- 
tially alfetaed  his  brain.     IJut  when,  after  the  lapse  of  a  minute  or  two,  thej, 


>  A, 


wacousta;    or,    the    prophecy. 


26 


«gain  looked  out  upon  the  common,  the  secret  of  his  agitation  was  too  fjuth- 
fullv  antl  too  painfully  explained. 

VVhiii  had  al  tirsl  the  dusky  and  diYigy  hue  of  a  half-naked  Indian,  was 
now  j)^'eeived.  by  the  bright  beams  of  light-  just  gathering  in  the  east,  to  be 
t!ie  gay  and  striking  uniform  of  a  British  officer.  Doubt  as  to  who  that  offi- 
cer was  there  could  be  none,  for  the  white  sword-belt  suspended  over  the 
right  rfhoulder,  and  thrown  into  str'ong  relief  by  the  field  of  scarlet  on  which 
it  rcpfc-od.  denoted  the  wearer  of  this  distinguished  badge  of  duty  to  be  one 
of'tliv-  gu.ird. 

If  they  could  regret  the  loss  of  such  a  companion  as  Murphy,  how  deep 
and  h  'aitfvlt  nui>;t  liave  been  the  sorrow  they* experienced  when  they  beheld 
tlie  brave,  generous,  manly,  amiable,  and  highly-talented  Frederick  de  Haldi- 
mar — the  pi-ide  of  ihe  garri.son,  and  the  idol  of  his  family — lying  extended,  a 
cold,  .'■tinseless  corpse,  slain  b}-  the  hand  of  tlie  bosom  friend  of  his  brother!— 
Notwithstanding  the  stern  severity  and  distance  of  the  governor,  whom  few 
circumstance.s,  however  critical  or  exciting,  could  surprise  into  relaxation  of 
his  habitual  stuteliness,  it  would  have  V>ecn  difficult  to  name  two  young  men 
moro  univiirsally  liked  and  esteemed  by  their  brother  officers  than  were  the 
De  Haldimars — the  first  for  the  qualities  alreadv  named— tthe  second,  for  those 
retiring,  mild,  winning  manners,  and  gentle  alTcctions,  atided  to  extreme  and 
almjst.  feminine  Vieauty  of  countenance  for  which  he  was  remarkable.  Alas, 
what  a  gloomy  picture  was  now  exhibited  to  the  minds  of  all !  Frederick  de 
Haldimar  a  corpse,  and  slain  by  the  hand  of  Sir  Evcrard  Valletort !  What 
but  (lisiiiuon  could  follow  this  melancholy  catastrophe?  anil  how  could  Charles 
de  IlaUlimar.  even  if  his  bland  nature  should  survive  the  shock,  ever  bear  to 
look  again  upon  the  man  who  had,  however  innocently  or  unintentionally, 
deprived  him  of  a  brother  whom  he  adored? 

'i^hese  were  the  impressions  that  passed  through  the  minds  of  the  compas- 
sionatii)'!,  o;*it ''is,  as  they  directed  their  glance  alternately  from  the  common 
to  the  pa!e  and  mar1)le  like  features  of  the  younger  De  Haldimar,  who,  with 
paricd  lips  and  stupid  ga/e,  continued  to  fix  his  eyes  upon  the  inanimate  form 
of  his  ill-iated  brother,  as  if  the  very  faculty  of  life  itself  had  been  for  a  period 
suspended.  At  length,  however,  while  his  companions  watched  in  silence  the 
mining  workings  of  that  grief  which  they  feared  to  interrupt  by  ill-timed  ob- 
servations, even  of  condolence,  the  death-like  hue,  which  had  hitherto  suffused 
the  usu.i'! '.'  b'()('ii)iiig  cheek  of  the  young  officer,  was  .succeeded  by  a  flush  of 
the  deepest  dye.  while  his  eve.s,  swollen' by  the  tide  of  blood  now  rushing 
violently  to  his  face,  appeared  to  be  bursting  from  their  .socket.s.  The  shock 
was  nj'.we  than  his  delicate  frame,  exhausted  as  it  was  by  watching  and  fa- 
tigue, coui(^^  bear.  lie  tottered,  reelejj,  pressed  his  hand  upon  his  head,  and 
before  .tuy  oiu?  could  render  hiiu  ass' -stance,  fvil  senseless  on  tho  ramparts. 

During  the  interval  between  Sir  Kverard  Valletort's  exclamation,  and  the 
fall  of  t^h.iiles  de  Haldimar,  the  men  employed  at  the  grave  had  performed 
their  duty,  and  were  'razing  with  mingled  astonishment  and  concern.  Iioth  on 
the  body  of  their  murdered  officer,  and  on  th*  duml)  .scene  acthig  aroimd 
them.  Two  of  these  were  now  <!es[)at(:hed  for  a  litter,  with  which  they 
speedily  ie-a|)pearrd.  <M\  this  Charles  d"  ■  Idimiir,  already  delirious  with 
the  f 'ver  of  iuien>e  excilement,  was  carefully  placed,  and,  followed  by  Captain 
Blc.Nsingtou  ami  Lientenint  .lohnstone.  borne  to  his  a[^artmcnt  in  the  small 
rang'!  of  liuildings  constituting  the,  odlc'-rv'  bsirrncks.  Captain  Er.skine  un- 
■deitook  l]i>'  disagreeabU<  oliice  of  communicating  these  distressing  events  to 
th(!  governor  ;  and  the  remainder  of  the  officers  once  more  hastened  tc  join 
or  linger  near  their  respective  companion.s.  in  readiness  for  the  order  which  it 
WHS  expected  would  be  given  to  desputch  a  numerous  party  of  the  garrison 
to  sectu'e  the  body  of  Captain  di  IluldiniiU'. 


96 


wacousta;   pRi  the    propheot. 


n  1^ 


w 


m 


J 


■     CHAPTER  IV.  ' 

The  sun  was  just  rising  above  the  horizon,  in  all  that  peculiar  poftness  of 
splendor  which  characterises  the  eariy  days  of  autumn  in  America,  as  Cap- 
tain Erskine  led  his  company  across  the  drawbridge  that  communicated  with 
the  fort.  It  was  the  first  time  it  had  been  lowered  since  the  investment  of  the 
garrison  by  the  Indians ;  and  as  the  dull  and  rusty  chains  performed  their 
service  with  a  harsh  and  grating  soimd,  it  seemed  as  if  an  earnest  were  given 
of  melancholy  boding.  Although  the  distance  to  be  traversed  was  small,  the 
risk  the  party  incurred  was  great ;  for  it  wvss  probable  the  savages,  ever  on 
the  alert,  would  not  suffer  them  to  effect  their  object  unmolested.  It  waa 
perhaps  singular,  and  certainly  contradictory,  that  an  oflBcef  of  the  acknow- 
ledged prudence  and  foi-ethought  ascribed  to  the  governor — qualities  which  in 
a  "great  degree  neutralized  his  excessive  severity  in  the  eyes  of  his  troops- 
should  have  hazarded  the  chance  of  having  his  garrison  enfeebled  by  the  de- 
struction of  a  part,  if  not  of  the  whole,  of  the  company  appointed  to  this 
dangerous  duty  ;  but  with  all  his  severity,  Colonel  do  llaldimar  was  not  with- 
out strong  affection  for'  his  children.  The  feelings  of  the  father,  therefore,  in 
a  great  dcgi'ce  triumphed  over  tlie  ])rudence  of  thd  commander :  and  to  shield 
the  corpse  of  his  son  from  the  indignities  which  he  well  knew  would  be  in- 
flicted on  it  by  Indian  barbarity,  he  had  been  induced  to  accede  to  the  eainest 
prayer  of  Captain  Erskine,  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  lead  out  his  com 
pany  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  body.  Every  means  were,  however, 
taken  to  cover  the  advance,  and  ensure  the  retreat  of  the  detachment.  The 
remainder  of  the  troops  were  distributed  along  the  roar  of  the  ramparts,  with 
instructions  to  lie  flat  ou  their  faces  until  sunnnoned  by  their  officers  from 
that  position ;  which  was  to  be  done  only  in  the  eyeut  of  close  pursuit  from 
the  savages.  Ai'tillerymen  were  also  stationed  at  the  several  guns  that  Hanked 
the  rear  of  the  fort,  and  necessarily  commanded  both  the  connnon  and  the 
outskirt  of  the  forest,  with  orders  to  fire  with  grape-shot  at  a  given  signal. 
Captain  Erskine's  instructions,  were,  moreover,  if  attacked,  to  retreat  back 
under  the  guns  of  the  fort  slowly  aud  in  good  order,  and  without  turning  his 
back  upon  the  enemy. 

Thus  confident  of  support,  the  par^,  after  traversing  the  drawbridge  with 
fixed  bavonets,  inclined  io  the  right,  and  following  the  winding  of  the  ditch 
by  which  it  was  surroimded,  made  th«  semi-circuit  of  the  rampart  until  they 
gained  the  immediate  centre  of  the  rear,  and  in  a  direct  line  with  the  bomb- 
proof. Here  their  mode  of  advance  was  altered,  to  guard  more  ellectually 
against  the  enemy  with  whom  they  might  possibly  have  to  contend.  The 
front  and  rear  ranks  of  the  company,  consisluig  in  all  of  ninety  men,  were  so 
placed  as  to  leave  space  in  the  event  of  attack,  for  a  i)Ortion  of  each  to  wheel 
mwards  so  as  to  present  in  an  instant  throe  equal  faces  of  a  square.  As  the 
i^'ar  was  sullioienlly  covered  by  the  c^uinon  of  the  fort  to  defeat  any  attempt 
to  turn  tlioirlliinks.  the  manduivre  was  one  that  enabled  them  to  present  a 
fuller  front  in  whatever  other  quarter  they  might  be  r.t*.:u'l<ed  ;  and  had  this^ 
additional  ailvantage.  that  in  tUe  advance  b}'  single  files  a  narrower  fiont  was 
given  to  the  aim  of  the  Indians,  v.ho,  unless  they  fired  in  an  uldique  direction, 
couM  only  of  necessity jbiing  down  two  men  (the  leading  liles)  at  a  tunc. 

In  this  order,  and  anxiously  overlooked  by  their  comrades,  whoso  eyes 
alone  peered  from  above  the  surface  of  tiie  rampart  on  whieli  tliey  lay  pi'O.s- 
trato,  the  detachment  crossed  the  common ;  one  rank  headed  by  t'^njjtain 
Erskine,  the  other  by  Lieutenant  Johnstone.  'Jhey  had  now  approached 
.  within  a  few  yards  of  the  unf<»rtuna(c  victim,  when'  Captain  Erskine  com- 
manded a  halt  of  his  i.artv  ;  and  two  files  were  detached  from  the  rear  of 
eacl^rank.  to  place  the  botly  on  a  litter  with  which  they  had  provided  iJiem- 
•elves.    llo  Olid  Johustouo  also  moved  in  the  same  dirc^clion  in  advanctof  tht 


;  i 


WAC9USTA;      OR,     THE     PROPHECV. 


27 


men.  prepared  to  render  assistance  if  required.  The  corpse  lay  on  its  face, 
and  in  no  way  despoiled  of  an}'  of  its  glittering  habiliments ;  a  circumstance 
that  too  well  confirmed  the  fact  of  l)e  Ilalilimar's  death  having  teen  accom- 
plished by  the  ball  from  Sir  p]verard  Valktort's  rillc.  It  appeared,  however, 
the  ill-fated  officer  had  struggled  much  in  the  agonies  of  death  :  for  the  left 
leg  was  drawn  up  into  an  unnatural  state  of  contraction,  and  the  right  hand, 
closely  compressed  graspcl  a  quantity  of  gi-Jiss  and  soil,  which  had  been  cvi- 
■dently  torn  up  in  a  paroxysm  of  sutleriug  and  despair. 

The  men  j)]aced  the  litter  at  tl»e  side  of  the  body,  which  they  "now  pro- 
ceeded to  raise.  As  they  were  in  the  act  of  depositing  it  on  this  temporary 
bier,  the  plumed  hat  fell  from  the  hca<l.  and  disclosed,  to.  the  astonishment  of 
all.  the  scalpless  crown  completely  saturated  in  its  own  clotted  .blood  and 
oozing  brains.  An  exclamation  of  horror  and  disgust  escaped  at  the  same 
moment  from  the  lips  of  the  two  oflicers,  amj  the  men  started  back  from  their 
charge  as  if  a  basilisk  had  suddenly  appeared  before  them.  Captain  Erskine 
pursued  : — 

'•What  the  devil  is  the  meaning  ofv  all  this,  Johnstone?"  ''What,  in- 
deod  !"  rejoined  his  lieuteusuit,  witli  a  shrug  of  his,  shoulders,  that  was  ia- 
tended  to  express  his  inability  to  form  any  opinion  on  the  subject. 

"  Unless  it  slwuld  prove,"  coiitinued  Eriikine,  ■'  as  I  sincerely  trust  it  m^y 
that  poor  Valletort  is  not.  after  ali.  the  nuu'dercr  of  his  friend.  It  must  bo 
so.  l)e  llaldimar  has  been  sliiin  by  the  same  Indian  who  killed  Murphy. 
Do  you  recdllect  his  seal])  cry  ?  He  was  in  tlie  act  of  despoiling  his  victim 
of  this  trophy  of  success,  when  Sir  Evcrard  fwed.  Examine  the  body  well, 
Mitchell,  and  di.scover  where  the  wound  lies." 

•  I'Ir-  old  soldier  to  whom  this  order  was  addressed  now  prepared,  with  the 
assistance  of  his  corai-ades,  to  turn  the.  body  uj)on  its  back,  when  suddenly 
the  air  was  rent  with  terrillc  yells,  tliat  seomed  to  be  uttered  in  their  very 
cars,  and  in  the  next  instant  more  than  a  bundled  dark  ai^d  hideous  savages 
Pl)rang  simultaneously  to  their  feet  within  the  boinb-proof,  while  every  tree 
along  the  skirt  of  the  forest  gave  back  the  towering  fm'ni  of  a  warrior.  Each 
of  thusc^  in  addition  to  his  rille,  was  armed  with  all  those  destructive  imple- 
ments of  warfare  which  rcnd(*r  the  Indi'ins  of  America  so  formidable  and  so 
terrible  an  enomy. 

''Stand  to  yoiu"  arms,  men,"  shouted  Captain  Enskino,  recovering  from 
his  lirst  and  unavoidable,  though  but  niouientary,  surprise.  "  First  and 
fourth  .sections,  on  your  right  and  left  backwards  wheel : — Quick,  men,  with- 
in ^he  square,  for  yoin-  lives."  As  he  spoke,  he  and  Lieutenant  Johnstone 
sjiriing  iiastily  back,  and  in  time  to  obtain  admittance  within  the  troop.s,  who 
had  rapidly  execut(!d  tlu«  mananivre  commanded.  Not  so  with  ^litchell  aiid 
his  companions.  On  the  lirst  alarm  they  had  quitted  the  body  of  the  muti- 
lated* olHcer.  and  flown  to  .secure  their  arms,  but  even  while  in  the  act  of 
stooping  to  take  them  up.  they  had  been  grapiiled  by  a  powerfid  and  vindict- 
ive foe  ;  and  the  first  tlnng  tliey  bi.-held  on  regaining  thv'w  iqtHght  position, 
.was  a  dusky  Indi;in  at  the  side,  and  a  gleaming  tomahawk  Hashing  rapidly 
rotmd  the  hr^ad  of  e:ich. 

''  Eire  not,  on  your  lives,"  exclaimed  Captain  Erskine  hastily,  as  he  saw 
several  of  t!ie  men  in  front  k'velling,  in  tlie  e.vcitemont  of  the  moment,  their 
muskets  at  the  threatening  savages.  '"  Prepare  for  attack,"  lu;  pursued  ;'and 
in  the  next  instant  e.acli  man  dropjied  on  his  right  Icnee,  and  a  barrier  of 
bristling  bayonets  seemed  to  rise  from  the  very  bowels  of  the  earth.  Attracted 
,oy  the  novelty  of  the  sight,  the  bold  and  daring  warriors,  although  still  retain- 
ing their  fhiu  grasp  of  the  unhappy  soldiers,  were  for  a  mouicnt  divertod 
from  their  bloodv  pnipose.  and  temporarily  suspended  the  quick  and  rotatory 
motion  of  their  w^'apons.  Captain  Lrskiue  took  advantage  of  this  pause  to 
seize  the  hnlbcrt  of  one'of  nis  scruonnts,  fo  the  extreme  point  of  which  h« 
hastily  attached  a  white  pocket  hamlkurchief,  that  was  loo«ily  thrust  into 


28 


ir^^ 


wacobsta:    or,    the    prophe e*Y . 


f 


'■      ''I 


I 


the  breast  of  his  uniform ;  this  he  waved  on  hip-h  threa  several  times,  andf 
then  relinqtiishing  tlie  halbert,  dropped  also  on  his  knee  within  the  square. 

"  The  dosr  of  a  Sajranaw  asks  for  mercy,"  said  a  voice  from  within  the 
bomb-proof  and  speaking  in  the  dialect  of  the  Ottawas.  "  His  pale  Hag  be- 
speaks the  quailing  of  his  heart,  and  his  attitude  denotes  fche  timidity  of  the 
hind.  His  warriors^  are  like  himself  and  even  now  upon  their  knees  they 
call  upon  their  INIanitou  to  preserve  them  from  the  vengeance  of  the  red- 
skins. ,But  mercy  is  not  for  dogs  like  these.  Now  is  the  time  to  make  our 
tomahawks  Marm  in  their  blood  ;  and  ever^ head  that  we  count  shall  be  a 
scalp  upon  our  war  poles." 

As  he  ceased,  one  universal  and  portentous  yell  burst  from  the  fiend-like 
band  ;  and  again  the  weapons  of  death  were  fiercely  brandished  around  the 
heads  of  the  stupified  soldiers  who  had  fallen  into  their  power. 

"  What  can  they  be  about  ?"  anxiously  exclaimed  Captain  Erskine,  in  the 
midst  of  this  deafening  clamor,  to  his  subaltern.  "  Quiet,  man  ;  damn  you, 
quietj  or  I'll  cut  you  down,"  he  pursued,  addressing  one  of  his  soldiers,  whos^ 
impatience  caused  him  to  bring  his  musket  half  up  to  his  shoulder.  And 
again  he  turned  his  head  in  th?  direction  of  the  fort : — "  Thank  God,  here  it 
comes  aL  .ast, — I  feared  my  signal  had  not  been  noticed." 

'W  hi!e  he  yet  spoke,  the  loud  roaring  of  a  cannon  from  the  ramparts  was 
heard,  and  a  shower  of  grape-shot  passed  over  the  heads  of  the  detachment, 
and  was  scon  tearing  up  tjbe  earth  around  the  bomb-proof,  and  scattering 
fragments  of  stone  and  wood  into  the  air.  The  men  simultaneously  and  un- 
bidden gave  three  cheers. 

In  an  instant  the  scene  was  changed.  As  if  moved  by  some  mechanical 
impulse,  the  fierce*band  that  lined  the  bomb-proof  sank  below  the  surface, 
and  were  no  longer  visible,  while  the  warriors  in  the  forest  again  sought  shel- 
ter behind  the  "trees.  The  captured  soldiers  were  also  liberated  without  in- 
jury, so  sudden  and  startling  had  been  the  terror  produced  in  the  savages  by 
the  lightning  Hash  that  annotuiced  its  heavy  messengers  of  destruction.  Dis- 
charge after  discharge  succacded  without  intermission  ;  but  the  guns  had 
been  levelled  po  high,  to  prevent  injur}'^  to  their  own  men,  they  had  little 
othef-  effect  than  to  keep  the  Indians  from  the  attack.  The  rush  of  bullets 
through  the  close  forest,  and  the  crashing  of  trees  and  branches  as  they  fell 
with  startling  force  upon  each,  other,  were,'  with  the  peals  of  artillery,  the 
only  noises  now  to  be  heard ;  for  not  a  yell,  not  a  word  was  uttered  by  the 
Indians  after  the  first  discharge ;  and  but  for  the  certainty  that  existed  in 
every  mind,  it  might  have  been  supposed  the  whole  of  them  had  retired. 

"  Now  is  your  time,"  cried  Captain  Erskine ;  "  bring  in  the  litter  to  the 
rear,  and  stoop  as  much  as  possible  to  avoid  the  shot." 
■  The  poor  half-strangled  fellmvs,  however,  instead  of  obeying  the  order  jf 
their  captain,  looked  round  in  every  direction  for  the  enemy  by  whom  th(Jy 
had  l)con  so  rudely  hamlled,  and  who  had  glided  iVom  them  almost  as  imper- 
ceptily  and  swiftly  as  they  had  at  first  ap])roached.  It  seemed  as  if  they 
apprehended  that  any  attempt  to  remove  the  body  would  be  visited  by  those 
fierce  devils  with  the  same  appalling  and  ferocious  threatenin"S. 

"  "Why  staml  ye  there,  yc  dolts,"  continued  their  captain,  •  iookini  around 
as  if  yc  were  bewitched  ?  llriiig  the  litter  into  the  roar.  IMitchell,  you 
fool,  are  you  growti  a  c(|ward  in  your  old  age  ?  Are  you  not  ashamed  to 
set  such  an  example  to  your  cnnnades  ?" 

The  doul)t  thus  implied  of  the  courage  of  his  men,  who,  in  fact,  were 
merely  stupified  with  the  scene  they  had  gone  through,  had,  a.^  Captain 
Erskine  expected,  the  desired  ofiiir:t.  TJiey  now  bent  themselves  to  the  litter,  on 
which  they  had  previously  deposited  Iheir  muskets,  and  with  a  solf-posse.ssion 
that  contrasted  singularly  with  their  recent' air  of  wild  astonishniont.  bore  it 
to  the  rear  at  the  risk  of  being  ciit  in  two  at  every  moment  by  the  f'lro  from 
the  fort.  One  fierce  yell,  insthictively  prolfered  by  several  of  tlie  Inrkitig  band 
in  the  forest,  marked  their  disappointment  and  rage  at  the  escape  i,»f  thoir 


w 


acousta;    or.    the    frophecyi 


39 


rictims ;  but  all  attempt  at  nncovcriii^  tlunnsolvcs,  so  as  to  bn  enabled  to  fire 
was  prevented  by  the  adlitional  sho'.'C(  r.s  of  ii;rape  which  that  yell  imniediately 
brought  upon  them. 

The  position  in  which  (Japtani  Erskinc  now  Ibund  hims(§lf  was  hiprhly  crit- 
ical. Before  him,  and  on  oitiier  tiank,  was  a  multitude  of  savages,  who  only 
await«d  the  cessation  of  tiic  fire  from  the  fort  to  commence  their  tierce  and 
impetuous  attack.  Thai  that  lii-e  could  not  long  bo  sustained  was  evident, 
since  animunition  could  ill  be  spared  for  the  present  inefficient  purpose,  where 
Kupplies  of  all  kinds  were  so  diflicplt  to  be  obtained ';  and,  if  he  should  attempt 
a  retreat,  the  upright  position  of  liis  men  e.\ posed  them  to  the  risk  of  being 
swept  uwa}'  by  the  ponderous  metal,  that  already  fanned  their  checks  with 
'the  air  it  so  i-apidly  divided.  Suddenly,  however,  the  fire  from  the , batteries 
was  discoi^inued,  and  this  he  know  lo  be  a  signal  for  him.sclf.  He  gave  an 
order  in  a  low  voice,  and  the  dctat^linient  quitted  their  recumbent  and  defen- 
sive position,  still  remaining  foi-med  in  square.  At  the  same  instant  a  gun 
flashed  from  the  fort ;  Init  not  as  before  was  heard  tlie  rushing  sound  of  the 
destructive  shot  crushing  the  trees  in  its  resistless  course.  The  Indians  took 
courage  at  this  circumstance,  for  they  deemed  the  bullets  of  their  enemies 
were  expended ;  and  that  they  were  merely  discharging  their  powder  to  keep 
up  tho  apprehension  originally  produced.  Again  lliey  showed  themselves, 
like  so  inany  demons,  from  behind  their  lurking  places  ;  and  yells  and  shouts 
of  the  most  terrific  and  flucatening  character  once  more  rent  tlie  air.  and 
echoed  thrqugli  the  woods.  Their  cries  of  anticipated  triumph  were,  however, 
of  short  duration.  Pre.senth'',  a  hissing  noise  was  heard  m  the  air ;  and  elose 
to  the  l)omb-proof.  and  Ivt  the  very  skirt  of  the  forest,  they  beheld  a  huge 
globe  of  iron  fall  perpendicularly  to  the  earth,  to  the  outer  part  of  which  \Vas 
attached  what  they  supposcnl  to  be  a  reed,  that  spat  forth  innumerable  sparks 
of  tire,  without  however,  seeming  to  threaten  the  slightest  injury.  Attracted 
by  the  novel  sight,  a  dozen  warriors  sprang  to  the  spot,  and  fastened  their 
gaze  upon  it  with  all  the  childish  wonder  and  cnrio.sit}'  of  men  in  a  savage 
ijtate.  One.  more  eager  and  restless  than  his  fellows,  stooped  over  it  to  feel 
^ith  his  hand  of  what  it  \\*as  composed.  At  that  moment  it  burst,  and  limbs. 
ind  heads,  and  entrails,  were  seen  flying  in  the  air.  with  the  fragments  of  the 
shell,  and  [trostrate  and  struggling  forms  lay  wwthing  on.  every  hand  in  the 
■ast,  Uerce  agonies  of  death. 

A  3'ell  of  despair  and  a  shout  of  tn  mph  burst  at  the  same  moment  from 
^he  adverse  parties.  Taking  advantage  of  the  terror  produced,  by  this  catas- 
trophe, in  the  savages.  Captain  Erskine  caused  the  men  bearing  the  corpse  to 
retreat,  with  all  pos.sible  exj>edition.  under  the  ramparts  of  the  fort.  lie 
waited  until  they  got  nearly  half  way,  and  then  threw  forward  "the  whci  ling 
sections,  that  had  covered  this  movement,  once  more  inU»  single  file,  in  v'diicli 
order  he  commenced  his  ivtreat.  Step  by  step,  and  almost  iInpe^cepl^l^Iy.  the 
nu'n  paced  l)ack wards,  ready,  at  a  moment's  notice,  to  re-form  the  -(irare. 
Partly  recovering  fi'om  tln^  terror  and  surifiise  produced  by  the  burst-n^  of 
thesholl,  the  Intlii^is  were  qni(;k  in  pcrceivii  g  this  movement :  tilled  with  rauo 
at  having  been  so  long  balked  of  their  aim.  they  threw  thein,selves  once  more 
impetuously  from  their  cover ;  and,  with  stinniiating  yells,  at  length  opened 
their  fire.  Several  of  Captain  Erslcine's  men  were  wounded  by  this  d.i.schar.ire  ; 
when,  again,  and  furipusly  the  cannon  o[)ened  from  the  fort.  It  was  then 
that  the  superiority  of  the  artillery  was  ma<le  manifest.  Both  right  and  left 
of  the  retreating  (lies  the  ponderous  shot  flew  heavily  jtast.  carrying  death 
and  terror  to  the  Indians :  while  not  a  man  of  those  who  intervened  was 
scathe<l  or  touched  in  its  progress.  The  warriors  in  the  forest  were  once 
mor6  compelkMl  to  shelter  tnem.selves  behind  the  trees;  but  in  llie  bomb-proof, 
whore  thev  were  more  secure,  they  \V(!re  also  more  bold.  From  this  a  galling 
6re,  uingled  with  the  most  hideous  yolls,  was  now  kept  up  ;  and  the  detiich- 
ment,  in  their  slow  retreat.  suNlrcd  considerably,  Sfveral  men  hud  been  kiU- 
ed }  at  d.  about  twenty,  inc'inding  Lieutpi^aftt  J(»liastone,  wounded,  wljen  again 


i-.»: 
'h 


:hi 


Ml 


■n\ 


uf 


.1:'    I 


I: 

:i,'^ 


ij{ 


'  .p;| 


■I ' 


"N 


in 


4:-.^ 


30 


WACouarA;    or,   the    PROPHitcv 


one  of  those  nuirderous  gk)bes  fell,  hissing  in  the  very  centre  of  the  bomb- 
proof. In  an  instant,  the  Indian  fire  AViis  discontinued;  and  their  dork  and  " 
pliant  forms  were  seen  hurrying  with  ahnost  incredible  rapidity  over  the  di- 
lapidated Avails,  and  flying  into  the  very  heart  of  the  forest,  so  that  when  the 
shell  exploded,  a  few  seconds  afterwards,  not  a  warrior  was  to  be  seen.  Fi  om 
this  moment  the  attack  was  not  renewed,  and  Captain  Erskine  made  good  his 
retreat  without  further  molestation. 

'•  \Vell.  old  buffers !"  exclaimed  one  of  the  leading  fdcs,  as  the  detachment 
preceded  by  its  dead  and  woiindetl.  now  moved  along  the  moat  in  the  direction 
of  the  draw-bridge,  "how  did  you  like  tlie  grip  of  them  red  savages? — \ 
say,  Jtlitchcll,  old  Nick  Avill  scarcely  know  the  face  of  you,  it's  so  much  alter-  • 
ed  by  fright.  Did  yoii  see,"  tut-ning  to  the  man  in  his  rear,  "  how  harum- 
scaium  he  looked,  when  the  captain  called  out  to  him  to  come  olF?" 

"  Hold  your  clapper,  j'ou  spooney,  and  be  d d  to  you !"  exclaimed  the 

angry  veteran  '•  Had  the  Ingian  fastened  his  paw  on  your  ugly  neck  as  he 
did  upon  mine,  all  the  pitiful  life  your  mother  put  into  you  would  have  been 
spirited  away  from  very  fear ;  so  you  needn't  brag !" 

"  Sure,  and  if  any  of  ye  had  a  grain  of  spunk,  ye  would  have  fired,  and 
freed  a  fellow  from  the  clutch  of  them  Ingin  thieves,"  muttered  another  of 
the  men  at  the  litter.  ''  All  the  time  the  devil  had  me  by  the  throat,  swing- 
ing his  tommyhawk  about  my  head,  I  saw  ye  dancing  up  and  down  in  the 
heavens,  instead  of  being  on  your  marrowbones  on  the  common." 

."  And  didn't  I  want  to  do  it  ?"  rejoined  the  first  speaker.  "  Ask  Tom 
WinJiler  here,  if  the  captain  didn't  swear  he'd  cut  my  head  off  if  I  even  offer- 
ed so  much  as  to  touch  the  trigger  of  my  musket." 

"  Faith,  and  lucky  he  did,"  replied  his  covering  man,  ^for  the  ranks  had 
again  joined),  "  since  but  for  that,  there  wouldn't  be  at  this  moment  so  much 
as  a  hair  of  the  scalp  of  one  you  left." 

"  By  gracious,"  said  a  good-humored,  quaint  looking  Irishman,  who  had 
been  fixing  his  eyes  on  the  litter  during  this  colloquy ;  "  it  sames  to  me,  my 
boys,  that  ye  have  caught  the  wrong  cow  by  the  horns,  and  that  all  your 
pains  has  been  for  nothing  at  all,  at  all.  By  the  pope,  ye  are  all  wrong ;  it's 
like  bringing  salt  butter  to  Cork,  or  coals  to  your  Newcastle,  as  ye  call  it. 
Who  the  divil  evtir  heard  of  the  officer  wearing  ammunition  shoes  ?" 

The  men  all  turned  their  gaze  on  that  part  of  the  vestment  of  the  corpse 
to  which  their  attention  had  been  directed  by  this  remark,  when  it  was  at 
onco  perceived,  although  it  had  hitherto  escaped  the  observation  even  of  th» 
officers,  that,  not  only  the  shoes  were  those  usually  worn  by  the  soldiers,  an«   . 
termed  amm\inition  or  store  shoes,  but  also,  the  trowsers  were  of  the  descrip 
tion  of  coarse  grey,  peculiar  to  that  class. 

"  By  the  piper  and  ye're  right,  Dick  Doherty,"  exclaimed  another  Iri.sh- 
man ;  •'  sure,  and  it  isn't  the  officer  at  all !  Just  look  at  the  great  Ijlack  fist 
of  him  too,  and  u^ever  call  me  PJiil  Shcban,  if  it  ever  was  made  for  the  hand- 
ling of  an  officer's  spit." 

•'  What  a  set  of  liignoramuses  ye  must  be."  grunted  old  Mitchell,"  not  to 
sec  that  the  captain's  hand  is  only  covered  with  dirt ;  and  as  for  the  amiuu- 
'nition  shoes  and  trowsers,  why  you  know  your  officers  wear  anything  since 
we  have  been  cooped  up  in  this  here  ibrt." 

"  Yes,  by  the  holv  poker,  otf  duty,  if  they  like  it,"  returned  Phil  Sheban  } 
"  but  it  isn't  even  the  colonel's  own  born  son  that  dare  to  do  so  while  officer 
of  the  guard." 

At  tins  point  of  their  conversation,  one  of  the  leading  men  at  the  litter,  in   • 
turning  to  look  at  its  subject,  stumbleil  over  the  root  of  a  stump  that  lay  in 
his  n'ay,  and  fell  violently  forward.    The  sudden  action  destroyed  the  eqmli- 
brium  of  the  corpse,  which  rolled  off  its  temporary  bier  upon  t  he  earth,  and  / 
disclosed,  for  the  first  time,  a  face  begrimed  with  masses  of  clotted  blood, 


which  liad  8treame<l  forth  from  the  sclaped  brain  during  the  night. 
"  It's  the  divil  himself"  said  Phil  Sheban,  making  tke  sign  of  the 


cross,  half 


L_---y'--^— 


wac'ousta;    or,   the   proiheuy. 


St 


in  J6st,  half  in  earnest :  "  for  it  isn't  the  captain  at  all,  and  who  but  the  Oidl 
could  have  managed  to  clap  on  his  rigimentals  V\ 

•'  No,  it's  an  Ingian,"  remarked  Dick  Burford,  sagrlciously ;  "it's  an  Ingian 
that  has  killed  the  captain,  and  dressed  himself  in  his  clothes.  I  thought  he 
smelt  stronjr,  when  I  helped  to  pick  him  up." 

"  What  a  set  of  prating  fools  ye  are,"  interrupted  the  leading  sergeant ; 
"  who  ever  saw  an  Ingian  with  light  hair  ?  and  sure  this  hair  in  the  neck  is 
that  of  a  Christian." 

At  that  moment  Captain  Erskine,  attracted  by  the  sudden  halt  produced 
by  the  falling  of  the  body,  came  quickly  up  to  the  front.  "* 

"-^Vhat  is  the  meaning  of  all  this,  Cassidy  ?"  he  sternly  demanded  of  the 
sergeant ;  "  why  is  this  halt  without  my  orders,  and  how  comes  the  body 
here  ?" 

"  Carter  stumbled  against  a  root,  sir,  and  the  body  rolled  over  upon  the 
ground." 

"And  was  the  body  to  roll  back  again?"  angrily  rejoined  his  captain. 
"  What  mean  ye,  fellows,  by  standing  there ;  quick,  replace  it  upon  the  litter, 
and  mind  this  does  not  occur  again." 

"  They  say,  sir,"  said  the  sergeant,  respectfully,  as  the  men  proceeded  to 
their  duty,  "  that  it  is  not  Captain  de  Haldimar  after  all,  but  an  Ingian.^' 

"  Not  Captain  de  Haldimar !  are  ye  all  mad  1  and  have  the  Indians,  in  re- 
ality, turned  your  brains  with  fear  ?" 

What,  however,  was  his  own  surprise,  and  that  of  Lieutenant  Johnstone, 
when,  on  a  closer  examination  of  the  corpse,  which  the  men  had  now  placed 
with  its  face  uppermost,  they  discovered  the  bewildering  fact  that  it  was  not, 
indeed.  Captain  de  Haldimar  who  lay  before  them,  but  a  stranger,  di-essed  in 
the  uniform  of  that  o£Scer. 

There  was  no  .time  to  solve,  or  even  to  dwell  on  the  singular  mystery ;  for 
the  Indians,  though  now  retired,  might  bo  expected  to  rally  and  renew  the 
attack.  Once  more,  therefore,  the  detachment  moved  forward ;  the  ofBcers 
dropping  as  bfefore  to  the  rear,  to  watch  any  movements  of  the  enemy  should 
he  re-appear.  Nothing,  however,  occurred  to  interrupt  their  march ;  and  in 
a  few  minutes  the  heavy  clanking  of  the  chains  of  the  drawbridge,  as  it  was 
again  raised  by  its  strong  pulleys,  and  the  dull  creaking  sound  of  the  rusty 
bolts  and  locks  that  secured  the  ponderous  gate,  announced  the  detachment 
was  once  more  safely  within  the  fort. 

While  the  wounded  men  were  being  conveyed  to  ♦he  hospital,  a  group, 
comprising  almost  all  the  officers  of  the  garrison,  hastenea  tu  laec*,  Captain 
Erskine  and  Lieutenant  Johnstonei  Congratulations  on  the  escape  of  the 
one,  and  compliments,  rather  than  condolences,  on  the  accident  of  the  other, 
which  the  arm  en  icharpe  denoted  to  be  slight,  were  hastily  and  warmly 
proflcred.  These  felicitations  were  the  genuine  ebullitions  of  the  hearts  of 
men  who  really  felt  a  pride,  unmixed  with  jealousy,  in  the  conduct  of  their 
fellows ;  and  so  cool  an^  excellent  had  been  the  manner  in  which  Captain 
Erskine  had  accomplished  his  object,  that  it  had  claimed  the  undivided  ad- 
miration of  all  who  had  been  spectators  of  the  affair,  and  had,  "with  the  aid 
of  their  telescopes,  been  enabled  to  follow  the  minutest  movements  of  the  de- 
tachment. 

"  By  heaven  !"  he  at  length  replied,  his  chest  swelling  with  gratified  pride 
at  the  warm  and  generous  approval  of  his  companions  ;  "  this  more  than  re- 
pays me  for  every  risk.  Yet.  to  be  sincere,  the  credit  is  not_  mine,  but  Went- 
worth's.  But  for  you,  my  dear  fellow,"  grasping  and  shaking  the  hand  of 
that  oflBcer,  "  we  should  have  rendered  but  a  Flemish  account  of  ourselves. 
How  beautiAilly  those  guns  covered  our  retreat !  and  the  first  mortar  that  • 
sent  the  howling  devils  flying  in  air  like  so  many  Will-o'tho-wisps,  who  placed 
that.  Wentworth  1" 

**  I  did,'*  replied  the  oflSoer,  with  a  quickness  that  denoted  a  natural  feeling 
of  exultation ;  "  but  Bombardier  Kitson'v  was  the  most  effoctiye.    II  was  hia 


'v.,-.| 


'■A 


'^^'' 

;-^i 


[A 

m 


% 


«' 


*i-i 


32 


WAC0U8TA 


O  R 


•I   H 


1»  R  O  P  H  R  C  Y 


shell  that  drove  the  Indians  finally  out  of  the  b()niJ^)-proof,  and  left  the  coast 
clear  for  your  retroaL" 

"  Then  Kitson.  and  his  pinincrs  also,  merit,  our  best  thanks,"  pursued 

Captain  Erskine.  whor 3  spirits,  now  that  his  detachment  was  in  safety,  were 

more  than  usually  ex'iilarated  by  the  exciting  events  of  the  last  hour;  "and 

what  will  be  ujoru  acceptable,  perhaps,  they  shall  each  have  a  glass  of  my 

*i   best  old  .Jamaica  before  they  sleep. — and  such  sttiH"  is  not  to  be  met  with 

'  ever}'  day  in  this  vvildernoss  of  ii  country.     BWt.  confound  my  stupid  head  ! 

.   where  arc  Cliancs  de  Ilaldimar  iuid  Sir  Everard  Yalletort  ?" 

.'       "  Poor  Charles   is  in  a  hif2;h  fiver.  and  confined  to  his  bed,"  remarked 

Captain  Blessinston.  who  now  came  up.  adding  his  congratulations  in  a  low 

tone,  that  marked  the  despondency  of  his  heart ;  "  and  Sir  Eyerard  I  have 

iu.st  left  on  the  r.inipart  with  the  company,  looking,  as  he  well  may,  the  very 

-unage  of  despair." 

"  Run  to  them,  Sumners,  my  dear  boy,"  said  Erskine,  hastily  addressing 

himself  to  a  young  ensign  who  stood  near  him ;  "  run  quickly,  and  rplieve 

them  of  their  error.   Say  it  is  not  Dc  Haldimar  who  has  been  killed,  therefore 

the}'  need  not  make  themselves  any  longer  uneasy  on  that  score."    The  offi- 

<   ;ers  gave  a  start  of  surprise.     Sumners,  however,  hastened  to  acquit  himself 

^  of  the  pleasing  task  assigned  him,  without  waiting  to  hear  the  explanation  of 

^    the  tiingular  declaration. 

'    .  '•  Not  De  Ilaldimar !"  eagerly  and  anxiously  exclaimed  Captain  Blessing- 
'   ton  ;  '•  who  then  have  you  brought  to  us  in  his  uniform,  which  I  clearly  dis- 
'  V  tinguishod  from  the  rampart  as  you  pasScd?    Surely  you  would  not  tamper 
i'  with  us  at  such  a  moment,  Erskine  ?" 

:"'  ''  Who  it  is,  I  know  no  more  than  Adam,"  rejoined  the  other ;  •'  unless,  in- 
deed, it  be  the  devil  himself.  All  I  do  know,  is,  it  is  not  our  friend  De  Haldi- 
mar ;  although,  as  you  observe,  he  most  certamly  wears  his  uniform.  But 
you  shall  see  and  judge  for  yourselves,  gentlemen.  Sergeant  Cassidy,"  he  in- 
quired of  that  individual,  who  now  came  to  ask  if  the  detachment  was  to  be 
dismissed,  "  where  have  you  placed  the  litter?" 

Under  the  piazza  of  the  guard-room,  sir,"  answered  the  seargent.    These 
words  had  scarcely  been  uttered,  when  a  general  and  hastjr  movement  of*  the 
ofBcors,  anxious  to  satisfy  themselves  by  personal  observation  it  was  not  in- 
deed De  Ilaldimar  who  had  fallen,  took  jilacc  in  the  direction  alluded  to,  and 
I     in  the  next  moment  they  were  at  the  side  of  the  litter. 

A  blanket  had  been  thrown  upon  the  corpse  to  conceal  the  loathsome  dis- 
igiu'cmunt  of  the  face,  over  which  masses  of  thick  coagulated  blood  were  laid 
in  pivtches  and  streaks,  that  set  all  recognition  at  defiance.  The  formation  of 
the  head  alone,  which  was  round  and  short,  denoted  it  to  be  not  De  Ilaldi- 
raar's.  Not  a  feature  was  left  undefiled ;  and  even  the  eyes  w«re  sh  covered, 
it  was  impossible  to  say  whether  their  lids  were  closed  or  open.  More  than 
one  officer's  cheek  paled  with  the  sitknoss  that  rose  to  his  heart  as  he  gazed 
on  the  hideous  spectacle ;  yet  as  the  curiosity  of  all  was  stronly  excited  to 
know  who  the  murdered  man  really  was  who  ha^  been  so  unaccountably  in- 
ducted in  the  uniform  of  their  lost  companion,  they  were  resolved  to  satisfy 
themselves  without  further  delay.  A  basin  of  warm  water  and  a  sponge  were 
procured  from  the  guard-room  of  Ensign  Fortescue,  who  now  joined  them, 
Mid  with  these  Captain  Blessington  proceeded  to  remove  the  disguise.  , 

In  the  course  of  this  lavation,  it  was  discovered  the  extraordinary  flow  of 
blood  and  brnins  had  been  produced  by  the  infliction  of  a  deep  wound  on  tha 
back  of  the  '  rl,  by  the  sharp  and  ponderous  tomahawk  of  an  Indian.  It 
was  the  on;;)  blow  that  had  been  given  ;  and  the  circumstance  of  the  deceased 
having  b^cn  I'ound  lying  on  his  face,  accounted  for  the  quantity  of  gore,  chat, 
trickling  downwards,  had  so  completely  disguised  every  feature.  As  the  coat 
of  thick  encrusted  matter  gave  way  beneath  the  fi-equent  application  of  the 
moistening  sponge,  the  p!»llid  hue  of  the  countenance  denoted  the  murdered 
.vi.imiQ  to  ba  a  white.  All  cioubt,  however,  was  soon M./iii  (end.  The  afivmuni* 
•■■I       •■if,     uojfi  :ii'  ''ro-;Ji/j  •»"'-    ''Mf>J:f  ^!    •  ■ 


waoousta;    or,   the    prophecy 


33 


tion  shoes,  the  grey  trowsera,  the  coarse  linen,  and  the  stiff  leathern  stock  ch- 
circling  the  neck,  attested  the  sufferer  to  be  a  soldier  of  the  garrison  ;  but  it 
was  not  until  the  face  had  been  completely  denuded  of  its  unsightly  covering, 
and  every  feature  fully  exposed,  that  that  soldier  was  at  lenyjth  recognized  to 
be  Harry  Donellan,  the  trusty  and  attached  servant  of  Captain  dr  Haldimar. 

While  yet  the  oflficers  stood  apart,  gazing  at  the  corpse,  ana  rming  a 
variety  of  conjectures,  as  vague  as  they  were  unsatisfactory,  in  regard  to  their 
new  mystery.  Sir  Everard  Valletort,  pale  and  breathless  with  the  speed  he 
had  used,  suddenly  appeared  among  them.  ' 

"  God  of  heaven  !  can  it  be  true — iind  is  it  really  not  De  Haldimar  whom  I 
have  shot  ?"  wildly  asked  the  agitated  y^juig  man.  '"  Who  is  this,  Erskine  ?" 
he  continued,  glancing  at  the  I'tter.    "  Explam,  for  pity  sake,  and  quickly .V 

"Compose  yourself,  ray  dear  Valletort,"  replied  the  officer  addressed. 
"  You  see  this  is  not  De  Haldimar,  but  his  servant  Donellan.  Neither  has  the 
latter  met  his  death  from  your  rifle ;  there  is  no  mark  of  a  bullet  about  him. 
It  was  an  Indian  tomahawk  that  did  his  business ;  and  I  will  stake  my  head 
against  a  hickory  nut  the  blow  came  from  the  same  rascal  at  whom  you  fired, 
and  who  gave  back  the  shot  and  the  scalp  halloo." 

This  opinion  was  unanimously  expressed  by  the  remainder  of  the  officers. 
Sir' Everard  was  altoost  as  much  overpowered  with  his  joy,  as  he  had  pfre 
viously  been  overwhelmed  by  his  dispair,  and  he  grasped  and  shook  the  hand 
of  Captain  Erskine,  who  had  thus  been  the  means  of  relieving  his  conscience, 
with  an  energy  of  gratitude  and  feeling  that  almost  drew  tears  from  the  eyes 
of  that  blunt  but  gallant  officer. 

"  Thank  God  I  than)c  God  1"  he  fervently  exclaimed :  "  I  have  not  then  even 
the  death  of  poor  Donellan  to  answer  for ;"  and  hastening  from  the  guard- 
room, he  pursued  his  course  hurriedly  and  delightedly  to  the  barrack-room  of 
his  friend.  \  ..•  ,  ,. 


'.I 


.:* 


/■ 


J    -i 


io  iV 


Ji}. 


*  CHAPTER  V. 


The  hotir  fixed  for  the  trial  of  the  prisoner  Halloway  had  now  arrived,  and 
the  officers  composing  the  court  were  all  met  in  the  mess-room  of  the  garri- 
son, surrounding  a  long  green  table  covered  with  green  cloth,  over  which  were 
distributed  pens,  ink,  and  paper  for  taking  minutes  of  the  evidence,  and  such 
notes  of  the  proceedings  as  the  several  members  might  deem  necessary  in  the 
course  of  the  trial. .  Captain  Blessington  presided ;  and  next  hinot  on  either 
hand,  were  the  first  in  seniority,  the  two  junior  occupying  the  lowest  places. 
The  demeanor  of  the  several  officers,  serious  and  befitting  the  duty  they  were 
met  to  perform,  was  rendered  more  especially  solemn  from  the  presence  of  the 
governor,  who  sitting  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  president,  and  without  the  circle, 
remamod  covered  with  his  arms  folded  across  his  chest.  At  a  signal  given  by 
the  president  to  the  orderly  in  waiting,  that  individual  disappeared  from  the 
room,  and  soon  afterwards  Frank  Hallowjiy,  strongly  ironed,  as  on  the  pre- 
ceding night,  was  ushered  in  by  several  files  of  the  guard,  under  Ensign 
Fortescue  himself. 

The  prisoner  having  been  stationed  a  few  paces  on  the  left  of  the  president, 
that  officer  stood  up  to  administer  the  customary  oath.  His  example  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  rest  of  the  court,  who  now  rose,  and  extending  each  his  right 
hand  upon  the  prayer  book,  repeated,  after  the  president,  the  form  of  words 
prescribed  by  military  law.  They  then,  after  successively  touching  the  sacred 
volume  with  their  lips,  ence  more  i^sumod  their  seats  at  the  table. 

The  prosecutor  was  the  Adjutant  Lawson,  who  now  handed  over  to  tho 
president  a  paper,  from  which  the  latter  officer  read,  in  a  clear  and  distiiiol 
▼oioe,  the  following  charges,  viz. — 


<1' 

'!   1 


1% 


■ill 


■I 

"IT 


84 


•  wacousta;    or,   the   profh'ect. 


"  1st.  For  having  on  the  night  of  the  — th  September,  1763,  while  on  duty 
at  the  gate  of  the  Fortress  of  Detroit,  cither  admittetl  a  stranger  into  the 
garrison  himself  or  suHerod  him  to  obtain  admission,  without  giving  the 
alarm,  or  using  the  means  necessary  to  ensure  his  apprehen^n,  such  conduct 
being  treasonable,  and  in  breach  of  the  articles  of  war. 

"2d.  For  having  been  accessory  to  the  abduction  of  Captain  Frederick  de 
Haldimar  and  private  Harry  Donellan.  the  disappearance  of  whom  from  the 
garrison  can  only  be  attribiited  to  a  secret  understanding  existing  between  the 
prisoner  and  the  enemy  without  the  walls,  such  conduct  being  treasonable,  and 
in  breach  of  the  articles  of  war." 

"  Private  Frank  Ilalloway,''  continued  Captain  Blessington,  after  having 
read  these  two  short  but  important  charges,  "  yoa  havji  hoard  what  has 
been  preferred  against  vou  ;  what  say  you,  therefore  1  Are  you  guilty,  or 
not  guilty?" 

"  Not  guilty,"  firmly  and  somewhat  exidtingly  replied  the  prisoner,  laying 
his  hand  at  the  same  time  on  his  swelling  heart. 

"  Stay,  sir."  sternly  observed  the  governor,  addressing  the  president ;  you 
have  not  read  all  the  charges." 

Captain  Blessington  took  up  the  paper  from  the  table,  on  which  he  had 
carelessly  thrown  it,  after  reading  the  accusations  abt>ve  detailed,  and  perceived, 
for  the  first  time,  that  a  portion  had  been  doubled  back.  His  eye  now 
glanced  over  a  third  charge,  which  had  previously  escape<l  his  attention. 

"  Prisoner,"  he  pursued,  after  the  lapse  of  a  minute,  "  there  is  a  ''Mrd 
charge  against  you,  viz.  for  having,  on  the  night  of  the  — th  Sept.  1763,  suf- 
fered Captain  de  Haldimar  to  imclose  the  gate  of  the  •fortress,  and  accompa- 
nied by  his  servant,  private  Harry  Donellan,  to  pass  your  post  without  the 
.sanction  of  the  governor,  such  conduct  being  in  direct  violation  of  a  standing 
order  of  the  garrison,  and  punishable  with  death." 

The  prisoner  started.  "  What !"  he  exclaimed,  his  cheek  paling  for  the  first 
time"  with  momentary  apprehension ;  "  is  this  voluntary  confe.s.sion  of  my  own 
to  be  turned  into  a  charge  that  threatens  my  life?  Coknel  de  Haldimar,. is 
the  explanation  which  I  gave  you  only  this  very  hour,  anii  in  private,  to  be 
made  the  public  instrument  of  my  condemnation  ?  Am  I  to  die  because  I 
had  not  firmness  to  resist  the  prayer  of  my  captain  and  of  your  son.  Colonel 
de  Haldimar  ?" 

The  president  looked  towards  iJie  g-overnor,  but  a  significant  motion  of  the 
head  was  the  only  reply  ;  he  proceeded, — 

"  Prisoner  Halloway,  What  plead  you  to  this  charge  ?  Guilty,  or  not 
guilty  ?" 

''I  see  plainly,"  said  Halloway.  after  the  pause  of  a  mimite,  during  which 
he  appeared  to  be  summoning  all  his  energies  to  his  aW  ;  "I  see  phiinly  that 
it  is  useless  to  strive  against  my  fate.  Captain  do  Haldimar  is  not  here,  and 
I  must  die.  Still  I  shall  not  have  the  disgrace  of  dying  as  a  traitor,  though 
1  own  I  have  violated  the  orders  of  the  garrison." 

"  Prisoner,"  interrupted  Captain  Blessington,  "  whatever  you  may  have  to 
urge,  you  had  better  reserve  for  your  defence.  Meanwhile,  what  answer  ^.c 
you  make  to  the  last  charge  preferred  ? — Are  you  guilty,  or  not  gnilty  ?" 

'"  Guilty  "  said  Halloway,  in  a  tone  of  mingled  pride  and  sorrow,  "  guilty 
of  having  listened  to  the  earnest  prayer  of  my  captain,  and  suffered  him,  ii| 
violation  of  my  orders,  to  pass  my  post.  Of  the  other  charges  I  am  innocent.*' 
The  court  listened  with  the  mo^t  profound  attention  and  interest  to  the 
words  of  the  prisoner,  and  they  glanced  at  each  other  in  a  manner  that  marked 
their  sense  of  the  truth  they  attached  to  his  delara^ion. 

"  Halloway,  pri.soner,"  resumed  Captam  Blessington,  mildly,  yet  impress- 
ively ;  recollect  the  severe  penalty  which  the  third  charge,  no  less  than  the 
others,  entails,  and  recall  yoiir  admission.  Be  advised  by  me,"  he  pursued, 
observing  his  hesitation.  "  Withdraw  your  plea,  then,  «Bd  substitute  that  of 
not  guilty  tO  the  whole."  ,  , 


WACOUSTA 


O  R 


I 


THE     PROPHECY 


m 


"Captain  Blesaington,"  returned  the  prisoner  with  deep  eiuution.  "T  ft 
ftll  «^H.i  kindness^f  your  motive ;  and  if  anythinsr  can  console  me  in  my  pre- 
sent'situation,  it  IS  the  circuiiistance  of  having  presiding  at  my  trijjil  an  officer 
so  universally  huloved  by  the  whole  corps.  Still,"  and  again  his  voice  ac- 
quired its  wonted  firmness,  and  his  cheek  glowed  with  honest  pride,  "still,  I 
scorn  to  retract  m}'  words.  Of  the  two  first  charges  I  am  as  innocent  as  the 
babe  unborn.  To  the  last  1  plead  guilty  ;  and  vain  wt>uld  it  be  to  say  other 
wise,  since  the  gate  was  found  open  while  I  was  on  duty,  and  I  know  the 
penalty  attached  to  the  disobedience  of  orders." 

After  some  further  but  inoflectual  remonstrances  on  the  part  of  the  presi- 
dent, the  pleas  of  the  prison -r  wore  recorded,  and  the  examination  commenced. 
Governor  de  Haldimar  was  the  first  witness. 

That  officer,  having  been  sworn,  stated,  that  on  the  preceding  night  lie  had 
been  intruded  upon  inliis  apartment  by  a  str.inger,  who  could  have  obtained 
admission  only  through  the  gate  of  the  fortress,  by  which  also  he  must  have 
made  good  l\is  escape.  That  it  was  evident  the  prisoner  had  been  in  corres- 
pondence with  their  enemies  ;  since,  on  proceeding  to  examine  the  gate  it  had 
been  found  unlocked,  while  the  confusion  manifestetl  by  him  on  being  accused, 
.satisfied  all  who  were  present  of  the  enormity  of  his  guilt.  Seardh  had  been 
made  everywhei-e  for  the  keys,  but  without  success.  * 

The  second  charge  was  supported  by  pre.suniptive  evidence  alone ;  for  al- 
though the  governor  swore  to  the  disappearance  of  his  son,,  and  the  murder 
of  his  servant,  and  dwelt  emphatically  on  the  fact  of  their  having  been  forci- 
bly carried  off  with  the  connivance  of  the  prisoner,  still  there  was  no  other 
proof  of  this,  than  the  deductions  drawn  from  the  circumstances  already  de- 
tailed.    To  meet  this  difficulty,,  however,  the  third  charge  had  been  framed. 

In  proof  of  this  the  governor  stated,  "  that  the  prisoner,  on  being  interro- 
gated bj  him  immediately  subsequent  to  his  being  relieved  from  his  post,  had 
evinced  such  confusion  and  hesitation,  as  to  leave  no  doubt  whatever  of  Eis 
guilt ;  that,  influenced  by  the  half  promise  of  communication,  which  the  court 
had  heard  as  well  as  himself  he  had  suffered  tjie  trial  of  the  prisoner  to  be 
delayed  until  the  present  hour,  strongly  hoping  he  might  then  be  induced  to 
reveal  the  share  he  had  t>orne  in  these  unworthy  and  treasonable  practices ; 
Jthat,  with  a  view  to  obtsiin  this  disclosure,  so  essential  to  the  safety  of  the 
gari-ison,  he  had,  conjointly  with  Major  Blackwater,  visited  the  cell  of  the 
prisoner,  to  whom  he  related  the  fact  of  the  murder  of  Donellan,  in  the  dis- 
guise of  his  master's  uniform,  conjuring  him,  at  the  same  time,  if  he  regarded 
his  own  life,  and  the  safety  of  those  who  were  most  dear  to  him,  to  give  a 
olue  to  the  solution  of  this  mysterious  circumstance^  and  disclose  the  nature 
and  extent  of  his  connection  with  the  enemy  without ;  that  the  prisoner  how- 
ever resolutely  denied,  as  before,  the  guilt  imputed  to  him,  but  having  had 
"lime  to  concoct  a  plausi\jle  story,  stated,  (doubtless  with  a  view  to  i^ield 
himself  from  the  severe  punishment  he  well  knew  to  be  attached  to  his  of- 
fence,) that  Captain  de  HaUiimar  himself  had  removed  the  keys  from  the 
guard-room,  opened  the  gate  of  the  fortress,  and  accompanied  by  his  servant, 
dres.sed  in  a  colored  coat,  had  sallied  forth  upon  the  common.  And  this,  em- 
phatically pursued  the  governor,  the  prisoner  admits  he  permitted,  although 
well  aware  that,  by  an  order  of  long  standing  for  the  security  of  the  garrison, 
such  a  flagrant  dereliction  of  his  duty  subjected  him  to  the  punishment  of 
death.  • 

Major  Blackwater  was  the  next  witness  examined.     His  testimony  went  to  ' 
prove  the  fact  of  the  gate  having  been  found  open,  and  the  confusion  mani* 
fested  by  the  prisoner.     It  also  substantiated  that  part  of  the  governor's 
evidence  on  the  third  charge,  which  related  to  the  confession  recently  made 
by  Halloway,  on  which  that  charge  had  been  framed. 

The  sergeant  of  the  guard,  and  the  ^vernor's  orderly  having  severally 
corroborated  the  first  portions  of  Major  BlackwateHs  evidence,  the  examina 
tion  on  the  part  of  the  pi*osecutiun  terminated;  when  the  president  railed  ou 


■1 


M 

ml 


i 


■  1      1  I  ' 


1^ 


I 

't 


36  WACUDSTA;OR,THErROP,HBCV.         ' 

the  prisoner  Halloway  for  his  defence.     The  latter,  in  a  clear,  firm,  anJ  col 
lected  tone,  and  in  terms  that  surprised  his  auditory,  thus  addressed   the 
Court : — 

"  Mr,  President,  and  {gentlemen. — Although  standing  befoft  you  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  a  private  soldier,  and.  oh  !  bitter  and  humiliating  reflection,  in  that 
most  wret<;hed  and  dis{!;i'acoful  of  all  situations,  a  suspected  traitor,  I  am  not 
indeed  what  I  seem  to  be.  It  is  not  for  me  here  to  enter  into  the  history  of 
my  past  life ;  neither  will  1  tarnish  the  hitherto  unsullied  reputation  of  my 
family  by  disclosing  my  true  name.  Suffice  it  to  observe.  I  am  a  gentleman 
by  birth  ;  and  aithough.^of  late  years.  I  have  known  all  the  hardships  and 
privations  att^jndant  on  my  fallen  fortunes,  I  was  once  user!  to  bask  in  the 
luxuries  of  atlluence,  and  to  look  upon  tho.se  who  aow  preside  in  judgment 
over  me  as  my  equals.  A  marriage  of  atlection. — a  marriage- with  one  who 
had  nothing  but  her  own  virtues  and  her  own  Ijeauty  to  recommend  her. 
drew  *)on  me  the  displeasure  of  my  fajnih'.  and  the  little  I  posse.s.sed,  inde- 
pendently of  tlie  pleasure  of  my  relations,  was  soon  dissipated.  My  proud 
soul  scorned  all  thought  of  .supplication  to  those  who  had  originally  spurned 
my  wife  from  their  presence ;  and  yet  mj'  heart  bled  for  the  privations  of 
her  who,  alike  respectable  in  family,  was,  both  from  sex  and  the  nutuml  deli- 
cacy of  her  frame,  so  far  less  constituted  to  bear  \ip  against  the  frowns  of 
adversity  tlum  "myself.  Our  extremity  had  now  become  great, — too  great  for 
human  endurance  ;  when,  through  the  medium  of  the  public  prints,  I  became 
acquainted  with  the  glorious  action  that  had  been  fought  in  this  country  by 
'the  army  under  General  Wolfe.  A  new  light  burst  .suddenly  upon  my  mind, 
and  visions  of  after  pi-osperity  consta^itly  presented  themselves  to  my  view. 
The  field  of  honor  was  open  before  me,  and  there  was  a  probability  I  might, 
by  good  condtict,  .so  far  merit  the  approbation  of  my  superiors,  as  to  obtain, 
in  course  of  time,  that  rank  among  themselves  to  which  by  birth  and  educa- 
tion I  was  so  justly  entitled  to  aspire.  Without  waiting  to  consult  my  Elle*. 
whose  opposition  I  feared  to  encounter  until  opposition  would  We  fruitless,  I 
hastened  to  Lieutenant  Walgrave.  the  recruiting  otficer  of  the  regiment, — 
"endored  my  .soi-vices. — was  accepted  and  approved, — received  the  bounty  mop- 
ey, — and  became  definitely  a  soldier,  under  the  a.ssumed  name  of  "Frank  Hal- 
lowaj'. 

''It  would  be  tedious  and  impertinent,  gentlemen."  resumed  the  prisoner 
after  a  short  pau.se,  "  to  dwell  on  the  humiliations  of  spirit  to  which  t)Oth  my 
wife  and  myself  were  subjected  at  owr  first  introduction  to  our  new  associ- 
ates, who,  although  invariably  kind  to  its,  were  neverthele.ss  ill  suited,  both 
by  education  and  habit,  tq  awaken  anything  like  congeniality  of  feeling  or 
similarity  of  pursuit.  Still  we  endeavored,  as  much  as  possible,  to  lessen- the 
distance  that  existed  between  us  ;  and  from  the  first  moment  of  our  joining 
the  regiment,  determined  to  adopt  the  phraseology  and  manners  of  thos 
with  whom  an  adverse  destiny  had  so  singidarly  connected  us.  In  this  v 
ucceuded ;  for  no  one,  up  to  the  present  moment,  has  imagined  either  my 
wife  or  myselfto  be  other  than  the  simple,  unpretending  Frank  and  Ellen 
Halloway. 

''  On  joining  the  regiment  ii^his  country."  pursued  the  prisoner,  after  aii-» 
other  pause,  marked  by  umch  emotion,  '*  I  had  the  g-ood  fortune-  to  be  ap- 
pointed to  the  grenadier  company.  Gentlemen,  you  all  know  the  amiable 
qualities  of  Captain  de  Ilaldimar.  But  although,  unlike  yourselves,  I  have 
learnt  to  admire  that  oflicer  only  at  a  distance,  my  devotion  to  his  interests 
has  been  proportioned  to  the  kindness  with  which  I  have  ever  been  treated 
by  him ;  ancl  may  I  not  add,  after  this  avowal  of  my  former  condition,  mj 
most  fervent  desire  has  all  along  been  to  seize  the  first  favoi-able  opportunity 
<tf  performing  some  action  that  woidd  eventually  elevate  me  to  a  position  in 
winch  I  might,  without  blushing  for  the  absence  of  the  ennobling  qualities  of 
birth  and  condition,  avow  myself  his  friend,  and  solk:it  that  distinction  frotn 
my  equal  which  was  pai-txally  extended  to  me  by  my  superior  ?    The  oppor- 


'I4t 


W  A  C  O  II  S   f  A  i^     OR,     T  H  K      P  R  (>  P  H  K  C  Y 


.#' 


tunity  1  sought  was  not  lonjr  wanfinjf.  At  the  nn'mori'iK'  atVair  with  the 
French  fjenoral,  Vvi.  at  Quohec.  in  >vhich  our  iv<riiiient  Vioiv  so  i-onspicuons  a 
part,.!  liad4,ho  siood  I'ortuno  to  save  the  life  of  my  captain.  A  hand  of  Indi- 
ans, as  you  all.  lientlenien.  niu.'^t  recollect,  had  approached  onr  riglit  flank 
unperceived.  and  while  hu.'^il}'  enj-aged  with  the  French  in  front,  \A'e  were 
compelled  to  divide  our  fire  hetween  them  and  our  new  and  fierce  assailants.  ' 
The  leader  of  that  l)and  was  a  Frencli  officer,  who  seemed  particidar' y  to 
direct  his  attempts  ajrainst  the  life  of  Captain  de  Haldimar.  He  was  a  man 
of  powerful  proportions  an(i  gigantic  stature " 

••  Hold  !"  said  the  governor,  starting  .suddenly  from  the  seat  in  which  he  !iad 
listened  with  evident  impatience  to  this  long  outline  of  the  prisoner's  history. 
•'  Gentlemen."  addressing  the  court.  "  that  is  tlie  ver}'  stranger  who  was  in 
my  apartment  last  night,'— the  being  with  whom  the  prisoner  is  evidently  in 
treacherous  correspondence.'  and  all  this  absurd  tale  is  but  a  blind  to  deceive 
3'^our  judgment,  and  mitigate  his  own  punishment.  Who  is  there  to  ])rove 
the  man  he  has  just  described  was  the  same  who  aimed  dt  Captain  de  Haldi- 
.mar's  life  at  Quebec  ?"  (| 

A  flush  of  deep  inchgnation  overspread  the  features  of  the  prisoner,  whose 
high  spirit,  now  he  had  avowed  his  true  origin,  could  ill  brook  tiie  afl'ront 
thus  put  upon  hii:  veracity. 

'•  Colonel  de  Haldimar  !"  he  proudly  replied,  while  his  chains  clanked  with 
the  energy  and  force  with  which  he  drew  up  his  person  into  an  attitude  of 
striking  dignity  ;  "  for  once  1  sink  the  private  soldier,  and  address  you  in  the 
character  of  the  gentleman  and  your  equal.  T  have  a  soul,  sir.  notwithstand- 
ing my  fallen  fortunes,  as  Keenly  alive  to  honor  as  your  <^vn  ;  and  not  even  to 
save  ray  wretched  Ijfe.  would  T  be  guilt}'  of  the  baseness  you  now  attribute 
to  me.  You  have  asked."  he  pursued,  in  a  more  solemn  tone,  "  what  proof  I 
hawto  show  this  individual  to  be  the  .same  who  attempted  the  life  of  Captain 
de  Haldimar.  To  Captain  de  Haldimar  himself,  should  Providence  have 
.spared  his  da3'S,  I  shall  leave  the  melancholj'  task  of  bearing*  witne"-'.s  to  all 
I  here  advance,  when  I  shall  be  no  more.  Nay,  sir."  and  bis  look  partook 
at  once  of  mingled  scorn  and  despondency.  "  well  do  I  know  the  fate  that 
awaits  me  ;  for  in  these  proceedings — in  that  third  charge — I  plainly  road  my 
death  warrant.  But  what,  save  my  poor  and  wretched  wife,  have  1  to  regret? 
Colonel  de  Haldimar,"  ht»  continued,  with  a  vehemence  meant  to  check  the 
growing  weakness  which  the  thought  of  his  imfortunate  com[tanion  called  up 
to  his  heart,  •'  I  saved  the  life  of  }'Our  son,  even  by  your  own  admission,  no 
matter  whose  the  arm  that  threatened  his  existence  ;  and  in  every  other  action 
in  which  I  have  been  engaged,  honorable  mention  has  ever  been  made  of  my 
conduct.  Now,  sir,  I  ask  what  has  been  my  reward  ?  So  for  from  attending 
to  the  repeated  recommendations  of  my  captain  for  promotion,  even  in  a  sub- 
ordinate rank,  have  you  once  deemed  it  necessar}-  to  acknowledge  my  ser- 
vices by  even  a  recognition  of  them  in  any  way  whatever  ?"  , 

"  Mr.  President.  Captain  Blessington."  interrupted  the  governor  haughtily, 
are  we  met  here  to  listen  to  such  language  from  a  private  soldier  ?  You  will 
do  well,  sir,  to  exercise  your  pi-erogative,  and  stay  such  impertinent  matter, 
which  can  have  no  reference  whatever  to  the  defence  of*  the  prisoner." 

''  Prisoner,"  resumed  the  presidert.  who  as  well  as  the  other  members  of 
the  court,  had  listened  with  the  most  profound  and  absorbing  interest  to  the 
singular  disclosure  of  him  whom  they  still  only  kn»w  as  Frank  Halloway/ 
*' this  language  cannot  be  permitted;  3'ou  must  confine  younself  to  your 
defence." 

"  Pardon  me,  gentlemen,"  ^'eturned  /lalloway.  in  his  usual  firm  but  respect- 
ful tone  of  voice ;  pardon  me,  if,  standing  on  the  brink  of  the  grave  as  I  do,  I 
have  so  far  forgotten  the  rules  of  military  discipline  as  to  sink  for  a  moment 
the  soldier  in  the  gentleman ;  but'  to  be  taxed  wth  an  unworthy  fabrication, 
and  to  be  treated  vrith  contiimely  when  avowing  the  secret  of  my  coadition, 
wus  more  than  human  pride  and  human  feeling  ccald  tolerate."'      * 


1 

H 

V-"? 

s.  ■ 


i.  ■ 
.  •'  'i 

if  . 

V    hi 
l->,  I 


'in 

m 


>:  'I 


i!i 


t?4^ 


ii'la.i' 


I'i 


\,. 


^('3 


S8 


wacousta;    ofw,    the    propheov 


f 


"Conine  yourself,  prisoner,  to  yoiw  defence,"  again  remarked  Captain 
Blessington,  perceiving  the  restlessness  with  which  the  governor  listened  to 
these  bold  and  additional  observations  of  Halloway.  • 

Agsiin  the  governor  interposed  : — "  What  possible  connection  can  there  be 
between  this  man's  Ufe,  and  the  crime  with  which  he  stands  chjirged  ? 
Captain  Blessington,  this  is  trifling  with  the  court,  who  are  assembled  to  try 
the  prisoner  for  his  treason,  and  not  to  waste  their  time  in  listening  to  a 
history  utterly  foreign  to  the  sulyect." 

"  The  history  of  my  past  life.  Colonel  de  Hardimar,"  pi-oudly  returned  the 
prisoner,  "although  tedious  and  uninteresting  to  you,  is  of  the  utmost  ira- 

Sortance  to  myself;  for  on  that  do  T  ground  the  most  essential  part  of  my 
efence.  There  is  notliing  but  circumstantial  evidence  against  me  on  the  two 
first  charges  ;  and  as  those  alone  can  reflect  dishonor  oh  my  memory,  it  is  for 
the  wisdom  of  this  court  to  determine  whether  that  evidence  is  to  be  credited 
in  opposition  to  the  solemn  declaration  of  him,  who,  in  admitting  one  charge, 
equally  affecting  his  life  with  the  others,  repudiates  as  foul  those  only  which 
would  attaint  his  honor.  Gentlemen,|J  he  pursued,  addressing  the  court, ''  it  is 
for  you  to  determine  whether  nij'^  defence  is  to  be  continued  or  not ;  yet,  what- 
ever bo  my  fate,  1  would  fain  remove  all  injurious  impression  from  tlike  minds 
of  my  .judges ;  and  this  can  only  be  done  by  a  simple  detail  of  circumstances, 
whicii  may,  by  the  unprejudiced,  be  as  simpl}-  believed." 

Here  the  prisoner  paused  :  when,  after  some  low  and  earnest  conversation 
among  the  members  of  the  court,  two  or  three  slips  of  written  paper  were 
passed  to  the  President.  He  glanced  his  eye  hurriedly  over  them,  and  thc» 
directed  Halloway  to  proceed  with  his  defence.  • 

'•'■  I  have  stated."'  pursued  the  interesting  soldier,  •'  that  ^lie  ofllcer  who  led 
le  band  of  Indians  was  a  .man  of  gigantic  stature,  and  of  ajiparently  gj-eat 
strength.  My  alien t ion  was  j)articularlv  directed  to  him  from  this  circwm- 
Btanoe.  and  as  1  was  on  the  extreme  flaid<  of  tlie  grenadiers,  and  close  to 
Captain  de  Haldimar.  I  had  every  ()})portunity  of  observing  his  movements 
princi[»ally  pointed  at  that  officer.  He  first  discharged  a  carbine,  the  ball  of 
which  killed  a  man  of.  the  company, at  his  f  Captain  de  Haldimar's)  .side  j  and 
then,  with  evident  rage  at  having  been  defeatea  in  his  aim,  he  took  a  pistol 
from  his  belt,  and  advancing  with  rapid  strides  to  within  a  few  paces  of  liis 
Intended  victim,  presented  it  in  the  most  deliberate  manner.  At  that  mo- 
ment, gentlemen,  (and  it  was  but  the  work  of  a  moment,)  a  thou.sand  confus- 
ed and  almost  incxi)licablc  feelings  rose  to  my  heart.  The  occasion  I  had 
long  sought  was  at  length  within  my  reach  ;  but  even  the  personal  consider- 
ations, winch  had  hitherto  influenced  my  mind,  were  sunk  in  the  anxious  de- 
sire I  entertained  to  preserve  the  life  of  an  ofii(X'r  so  universally  beloved,  and 
■0  every  way  worthy  of  the  sacrifice.  While  yet  the  pistol  remained  levelled. 
I  sprang  before  Captain  de  Haldimar.  received  the  ball  in  irty  breast,  and  had 
just  strength  sufHcicnt  to  tiro  my  musket  ab  the  formidable  enemy,  when  1 
Bank  senseless  to  the  earth. 

''  It  will  not  be  diilieiili  for  you,  gentlemen,  who  have  feeling  minds,  to  un- 
derstand the  pleasura])le  pride  with  which. -on  being  conveyed  to  Captain  do 
Hahliniar's  own  apartments  in  Quebec.  I  found  myself  almost  overwlielmed 
by  the  touching  n  .rks  of  gratitude  showered  on  me  by  his  relatives.  Miss 
Clara  <le  Haldimar,  in  particular,  like  a  niiiiistcring  angel,  visited  my  couch  of 
Buflermg  almost  every  )\i}tu\  and  always  provided  with  .some  little  delicacy, 
suitable  to  my  condition,  of  which  1  had  long  since  tutoreil  myself  to  forgot 
even  tlie  use.  But  what  principally  .'kllbrdod  me  pleasure,  wuh  to  i-enwirk  the 
consolations  whicli  she  tendered  to  my  poor  drooping  Kllen.  who.  alreany  more 
than  half  subdued  by  the  melancholy  chaii^je  in  our  condition  in  life,  fre- 
quently spent  hours  together  in  silent  grief  at  the  side  of  my  couch,  and 
watching  every  channe  in  my  eouuleuan'e  with  ali  the  intense  anxiety  of  one 
who  f'ols  the  last  stay  on  earth  is  alto.  '  to  bo  seven'd  for  ever.  Ah  !  how  1 
then  I'm:;ed  to  diw'losic  to  this  kind  an<f  compassionating  beiii;;  the  true  jwsi- 


t. 


wacousta;    or,    the    prophecy.         ^       39" 

tion  of  her  on  whom  she  lavished  her  attention,  and  to  make  her  known  not 
Jis  the  inferior  honored  by  her  notice,  but  as  the  equal  alike  worthy  of  her 
friendsliiii  arnl  deserving  of  her  esteem ;  but  the  wide,  wide  barrier  that  di- 
vided the  wife  of  the  private  soldier  from  the  daughter  and  sistej*  of  the 
comuiissiojied  officer  sealed  my  lips,  and  our  true  condition  continued  un- 
revealed.        ' 

"  Gentlemen."  resumed  Halloway.  after  a  .short  pause.  "  if  T  dwell  on  these 
circumstnnces.  it  is  with  a  view  to  show  how  vile  are  the  cliarges  prefeiTcd 
against  me.  Is  it  likely,  ^'ith  all  the  incentives  to  good  conduct  1  have  named, 
T  should  have  proved  a  traitor  to  my  country  ?  And.  even  if  so,  what  to  gain, 
I  woidd  ask ;  and  by  what  mean?  was  a  correspondence  with  the  enemy  to  be 
maintained  by  one  in  my  humble  station  ?  As  for  the  second  charga,  how  in- 
famous, how  injurious  is  it  to  my  reputation,  how  unworthy  to  be  entertained! 
From  the  moment  of  ni}  .  ecovery  from  ^that  severe  wound,  every  mark  of 
favor  that  could  be  bestowed  on  persons  in  our  situation  had  been  extended  to 
my  wife  and  myself,  by  the  famil}-  of  Colonel  de  Haldimar ;  and  my  captain, 
knowing  me  merely  as  the  simple  and  low  born  Frank  Halloway,  although 
itill  the  preserver  of  his  life,  has  been  unceasing  in  his  exertions  to  obtain  such 
jironijtiou  as  he  thought  my  conduct  generally,  hidependently  of  my  devoted- ' 
aess  to  his  person,  might  claim.  How  these  applications  were  met,  gentlemen, 
I  Lave  already  stated ;  but  notwiihslaiiding  Colonel  de  Haldimar  ha{5  never 
ieemed  me  worthy  of  the  promotion  solicited,  that  circumstance  could  in  no 
■A'ay  weaken  my  regard  and  atta<'hnu'iit  for  him  who  \\s\4  so  often  demanded 
it.  How  then  in  the  nione  of  heaven,  can  a  charge  so  improbable,  so  extrava- 
gant, as  that  of  having  been  instrumental  in  the  abduction  of  Captain  de  Hal 
limar.  be  entertained  V  and  who  is  there  among  you.  gentlemen,  who  will  for 
4ie  iiiouient  believe  I  could  liaibor  a  thought  so  ab.surd  as  that  of  lending  mj* 
elf  to  the  destruction  of  one  foi-  whom  T  oiipe  cheerfully  olfered'up  the  .sacri 
fice  of  my  blood  ?  And  now,"  pursued  the  prii^oner,  after  another  short  pause, 
"  1  come  to  the  third  charge  -^that  charge  which  most  allects  my  life,  but  im- 
pugns neither  my  honor  nor  my  fidelit}'.  That  Cod,  before  whom  1  know  1 
shall  shortly  aj)pear,  can  attest  the  sincerity  of  my  statement,  and  before  hira 
do  1  now  .solemnly  declare  what  I  am  about  to  rt^late  is  true. 

''Soon  aflei'  the  commencement  of  my  watch  last  night,  1  heard  a  voice  dis- 
tinctly on  tlie-i)utside  of  the  rampart,  near  my  post,  calling  in  a  low  and  .sub-  , 
dued  lone  on  the  name  of  Captain  de  Haldimar.     The  accent.s.  hastily  and 
a)|fcioiisly  utten'4,  were  apparently  those  of  n  female.     For  a  inoment  \  con-  • 
tinned  irresolute  how  to  act.  and  hesitated  whether  or  not  I  .should  alai'm  the 
gairison ;  but,  at  length,  pre.suiiiing  it  was  .some  young  female  of  the  village 
with  whom  my  caj)tain  was  accpiainted,  it  occurred  to  me  the  most  prudent 
I'our.se  would  be  to  appri.se  that  officer  himself.   Wliile  I  yet  hesitated  whelJier  . 
((>  leave  my  post  for  a  moment  for  the  purpose,  a  man  crossed  the  paracio  a 
few  yards  in  my  front;  it  was  Captain' de  Haldiniar's  .servant,  Donellan.  then 
in  the  act  of  carrying  some  things  frcmi  his  master's  apartment  to  the  guard- 
room.    I  called  io  iiim.  to  say  the  sentinel  at  the  gate  wishe(t  to  see  the  cap- 
tain of  the  guard  immediately.     In  the  cour.se  of  a  few  minutes  he  came  up  to 
my  post,  when   I   told  him  what  I   had  heard.     At  that  niom<  nt.  the  voiGO 
n.gaui  repeated  his  name,  when  he  abrujitly  left  me  and  turned  to  the  left  of 
tlie  gale,  evidently  on  his  way  to  the  rampart.     Soon  afterwar<ls  1  heard  Cap- 
tain de  Haldimar  immedialely  above  me,  sharply  calling  out  *  Hist,  hist!'  juj  if 
(he  |H'r,son  on  (he  outside.  de.«i)airing  of  success,  was  in  (ho  lu-t  of  retreating, 
\  moment  or  (wo  of  silence  succeoled.  when  a  low  ( onvensation  ensued  ho- 
tween  the  parties.     'J"he  distance  was  so  gnat  I  could  only  distinguish  inarti- 
culate sounds;  yet  it  .seemed  to  me  as  if  (hey  spoke  not  in  ?jnglish,  but  in  tht 
anguuge  of  the  Ottawa  Indians,  a.iongne  with  which  as  you  are  well  aware 
^enlleniei).  Captain  de  Ibddimat    i^  finniliar.     This  had  continued  about  ton. 
.uinules  when   I  again  heard  footsteps  hastily  descending  the  rampart,  and 
iDoving  in  the  din-ctiou  of  the  guard- house.    Soon  al\crwiu"d&  Captain  de  Iltl- 


.    V     :■ 
■tv':" 


.r 


«'';■ 
».'i 


1 1  • 

i 


'I 


li 


U\ 


if'  'M 
'   III 

»  ■  •    '  i 
I  '■  # 


R 


:i: 


n      « 


J 


! 


40 


acousta;    or,   the    prophecy. 


dimar  re  appeared  at  my  post,  accompanied  by  his  servant  Donellan ;  tni» 
former  had  tlie  keys  of  the  gate  in  his  hand,  And  he  told  me  that  he  must  pass 
to  the  skirt  of  the  forest  on  some  business  of  tlie  last  importance  to  the  safety 
of  the  garrison.  / 

"  At  fh'st  I  peremptorily  refused,  stating  the  severe  penalty  attached  to  the 
infringement  of  an  oi'der,  the  observation  of  which  had  so  especially  been  in- 
sisted upon  by  the  governor,  whose  permissioj^,  however,  I,  ventured  respect- 
fully to  urge,  might,  without  difficulty,  be  obtained,  if  the  business  was  really 
of  the  importance  he  described  it.  Captain  de  Haldimar,  however,  declared  he 
well  knew  the  governor  would  not  accord  that  permission,  unless  he  was  ppsi- 
tivel}'^  aofjnainted  with  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  danger  to  be  apprehended  ; 
and  of  these,  he  said,  he  was  not  himself  sufficiently  aware.  All  argument  of 
this  nature  proving  ineffectual,  he  attempted  to  enforce  his  authority,  not  only 
in  his  capacity  of  officer  of  the  guard,  but- also  as  my  captain,  ordering  me,  on 
pain  of  confinement,  not  to  interfere  with  or  attempt  to  impede  his  departure. 
This,  however,  produced  no  better  result ;  for  I  knew  that,  in  this  instance,  I 
wasaiuen^de  to  the  order  of  the  governor  alone,  and  I  again  firmly  refused  to 
violate  my  duty. 

"  ^^inding  himself  thwarted  in  his  attempt  to  enforce  my  obedience.  Captain 
de  Haklimar,  who  seemdd  much  agitated  and  annoyed  by  what  he  termed  my 
obstinacy,  now  descended  to  entreaty ;  aiul  in  the  name  of  that  life  which  I 
had  preserved  to  him, .  and  of  that  deep  gratitude  which  he  had  ever  since 
borne  to  me,  conjured  me  not  to  prevent  his  dcpartui'e.  '  Ilalloway,'  he  urged, 
*  yohr  life,  my  life,  my  father's  life, — the  life  of  my  sister  Clai'a  perhaps,  who 
nursed  yon  in  illness,  and  who  has  ever  treated  you*  wife  with  attention  and 
kindnes>i.  all  these  depend  upon  your  comphance  with  my  request.  Hear  me,' 
he  pursued,  following  Ihp  the  hupression  which  he  clewly  perceived  he  had 
produced  in  me  by  this  singular  and  touching  language:  '  I  promise  to  be  back 
within  the  hour ;  there  is  no  dang«r  attending  n>y  departure,  and  here  will 
be  before  you  are  relieved  from  your  post ;  no  one  can  know  I  have  been  ab- 
sent, and  your  secret  will  remain  with  Donellan  and  myself.  Do  you  think.' 
he  concluaed,  '  I  would  encourage  a  sdldier  of  my  regiment  to  disobe)'^  a  stana- 
ing  order  of  the  garrison,  unless  there  was  some  very  extiaordinary  reason  for 
my  so  <loing  ?  But  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost  in  parley.  Ilalloway  !  1  enireat 
you  to  otter  no  frtrther  opposition  to  my  departure.  I  j)ledge  myself  to  be 
back  before  yoii  ai-e  relieved.' 

Gentlemou."  impjessively  continued  the  prisoner,  after  ji  [)ause,  during 
vhic'.i  every  in  iiibcr  of  the  court  .seemed  to  breathe  for  the  first  time,  io 
deeply  had  th<'  attention  of  all  been  riveted  by  the  latter  part  of  this  siugu- 
Iw  declaration,  "how.  under  these  circumstances,  could  I  be  expected  to' act? 
Assured  by  Captiiin  de  Haldimar,  ii)  the  most  solemn  maimer,  that  the  exis- 
tence of  those  most  dear  to  his  heart  hung  on  my  compliance  with  his  request, 
how  could  I  refuse  to  him,  whose  life  I  had  saved,  and  wliose  character  I  so 
nuich  esteemed. a  boon  so  earnestly,  nay, so  imploringly  solicited?  I  acceded 
to  his  prayer,  iutiinutiiig  at  the  same  tiiuo.  if  lie  returned  not  before  another 
sentinel  should  relieve  me.  the  discovery  of  my  breach  of  duty  must  bo  made^ 
and  my  punishment  inevitable.  His  last  wonls.  however,  were  to  assure  mo 
he  should  ntiirn  at  the  hour  he  had  named.  a!id  when  I  closed  the  gate  upon 
him  it  was  under  the  firm  im]>ression  his  absence  would  only  prove  tf  the 
temporary  nature  he  had  stated.  (Jcntlemen."  abruptly  concluded  Halloway, 
"I  have  nothing  fnillicr  to  a<ld  ;  if  I  have  failed  in  my  duly  as  a  soldier,  1 
have,  at  least,  fulfilled  Ihat  of  a  man;  and  although  the  violation  of  the  flnst 
entails  upon  me  the  punishiiicnt  of  death,  the  motives  which  impelled  me  to 
that  violation  will  not,  I  trust,  be  utterly  lost  sight  of  by  those  by  wliom  my 
punishment  is  to  l)e  awarded." 

The  candid,  fearless,  and  .uanly  tone  in  whidi  Halloway  had  delivered  this 
lon^  and  singular  statcmc'IU,  however  little  the  governor  appeared  to  be  affected 
ly  it,  evidently  made  a  deep  impression  on  ^the  court,  who  had  listened  with 


wacousta;    or     the    prop  he  c  y . 


41 


tfib 
)ass 

fety 

the 

in- 

ect- 

ally 


of 
)n]y 

on 
ure. 

to 


undiverted  attention  to  the  close.  Some  conversation  again  ensued,  in  a  low 
tone,  among  several  members,  when  two  slips  of  written  paper  were  passed 
up,  as  before,  to  flie  president.    These  excited  the  following  interrogatories  :— 

''  Yon  have  stated,  prisoner,  that  Captain  de  Haldiraar  left  the  fori  accom- 
panied by  his  servant  Donellan.     How  were  they  respectively  dressed  ?" 

"  Captain  do  llaldimar  in  his  uniform  ;  Donellan,  as  far  as  I  could  o])serve, 
in  his  refrimental  clothing  also,  with  this  difference,  thtit  he  wore  his  servant's 
round  glazed  liat  and  his  grey  gi'eat  coat." 

•'  llow  thin  do  you  account  fcfr  the  extraordinary  circumstance  of  Dopellan 
having  been  found  murdered  in  his  master's  clothes?  Was  any  allusion 
made  t<i  :i  change  of  dress  before  they  left  the  fort  ?" 

••  Not  the  slightest,"  returned  the  pri.soner  ;  "  nor  can  I  in  any  wa)'^  account 
for  this  mysterious  fact.  When  they  quitted  the  garrison,  each  wore  the  dress 
I  have  described." 

"  In  what  maimer  did  Captain  i  2  Haldimar  and  Donellan  effect  their  pas- 
sage across  the  ditch  ?"  continued  *  he  pi*esident,  after  glancing  at  the  second 
slip  of  i)aper.  '•  The  draw-bridge  was  evidently  not  lowered,  and  there  were 
no  other  means  at  hand  to  enable  him  to  effect  his  object  with  promptitude. 
How  do  you  explain  this,  prisoner  1" 

When  this  question  was  put.  the  whole  body  of  officers,  and  the  governor 
especially,  turned  their  eyes  simultaneously  on  Halloway,  for  on  his  hesitation 
or  promptn(!Ss  in  I'eplying  seemed  to  attach  much  of  the  credit  they  were  dis- 
posed to  accord  his  statement.  Halloway  observed  it,  and  colored.  His  re- 
ply, however,  was  free^unfaltering,  and  unstudied. 

"  A  rope  with  which  Donellan  had  provided  himself,  wak  secured  to  one  of 
the  iron  hooks  that  support  the  pulleys  immediately  above  the  gate.     With  ■^ 
this  they  swimg  thcm.setves  in  succession  to  the  opposite  bank." 

The  members  of  the  court  looked  at  each  other,  apparently  glad  that  an 
answer  so  ronfirmatory  of  the  truth  of  the  prisoner's  statement  had  been 
thus  readily  given.  ' 

'•  Were  they  to  have  returned  in  the  same  manner  ?"  pursued  the  president, 
framing  his  interrogatory  from  the  contents  of  another  slip  of  paper,  which, 
at  the  suggestion  of  the  governor,  liad  been  passed  to  him  by  the  prosecutor, 
Mr.  Lawson. 

'•  They  were,"  firmly  replied  the  prisoner.  "  At  lea.st  I  presumed  they 
were.  for.  T  hdic'vc  in  the  hurry  of  Captain  de  Haldhnar's  departure,  hf  never 
once  made  any  direct  allusion  to  the  manner  of  his  return;  nor  did  it  occur 
to  me  until  this  mompnt  how  thc}^  were  to  regain  possession  of  the  rope,  with- 
out assistance  from  within." 

'Of  course."  observed  Colonel  do  Haldimar,  a«ldrc.ssing the  president,  "the 
ro|M'  still  remains.     Mr.  Law.son,  examine  the  gate,  and  report  accordingly." 

The  adjutant  hastened  to  acquit  hitnself  of  this  laconic  order,  and  soon  af- 
terwards returned,  stating  not  only  that  there  was  no  rope,  but  that  the  hook 
alluded  to  had  disa])[)eared  alttJgethei-. 

For  a  monunt  Uic  cheek  of  the  j)risoner  ])aled ;  but  it  wa.s  evidently  less 
from  any  fear  coime<'ted  with  his  individual  existence,  than  from  the  shame 
he  f«>lt  at  hnviuu  been  detected  in  a  .supposed  falsehood.  He  however  speedily 
recovered  his  self-possrssiou.  and  exhii»ited  the  same  character  of  unconcern 
by  which  his  general  benring  throughout  tlie  trial  had  been  distinguished. 

*()u  this  amioMuccnr  nt  of  the  ndjutant  the  governor  betrayed  a  movement 
of  imjmfieuce.  I  hat  »viis  tiuant  to  convey  his  utter  disbelief  of  the  whole  of  the 
prisoner's  statement,  nnd  his  look  seemed  to  express  to  the  court  it  .should 
also  arrive,  without  Insitatiou.  at  the  same  conclusion.  Even  all  authoritative 
as  he  was.  however,  he  felt  that  niilitary  etiquette  and  strict  discipline  pre- 
Touted  his  interfering  ftirther  in  this  advanijjMl  state  of  the  proceedings. 

•  Pri-o!ier."  again  remarked  ('aptain  Hlessington.  ''your  statement  in  re« 
prd  to  the  means  employed  by  Captain  de  Haldimar  in  ellbcting  his  denarture, 
n.  you  must  admit,  unsupptirted  by  appearances.     How  happens  it  the  ropt 


kf 


H' 


I 


( ■< 
t 

■: 

^■ 


lii 


11 


^1  tf . 


42 


WACOVftTA;      OR,     THE     PROPHECY, 


is  no  longer  where  you  say  it  was  placed  ?  No  one  could  have  removed  it  b'it 
yourself.  Have  you  done  so  ?  and  if  so,  can  you  produce  it,  or  say  where  it 
IS  to  be  found  ?" 

"  Captain  Blessington,"  replied  Halloway, ,  proudlj^  yet  respectfully,  "  I 
have  already  invoked  that  great  Being,  before  whose  tribunal  I  am  so  shortly 
to  appear  in  testimony  of  the  truth  of  my  assertion ;  and  again,  in  his  pres- 
ence, do  1  repeat,  every  word  I  have  uttered  is  true.  I  did  not  retnove  the 
rope,  neither  do  I  know  what  is  become  of  it.  I  admit  its  disappeai'ance  is 
extraordinary,  but  a  moment's  reflection  must  satisfy  the  .court,  I  would  not 
have  ievised  a  tale,  the  falsehood  of  which  cOuld  at  once  have  been  detected 
on  an  examination  such  as  that  which  has  just  been  instituted.  When  Mr. 
Lawson  left  this  room  just  now,  T  fully  expected  he  would  have  found  the  rope 
lying  as  it  had  been  left.  What  has  become  of  it,  I  repeat.  I  know  not ;  but 
in  the  manner  I  have  stated  did  Captain  de  llaldimar  and  Donellan  cross  the 
ditch.  I  have  nothmg  further  to  add,"  he  .oncluded  once  more,  drawing  up 
his  fine  tall  person,  the  native  elegance  qj[  v  hich  could  not  be  wholly  disguised 
even  in  the  dr. 'ss  of  a  private  soldier ;  " nothing  further  to  disclose.  Yet  do 
I  repel  with  scorn  the  injurious  insinuation  against  my  fidelity,  suggested  in 
these  doubts.  I  am  prepared  to  meet  my  death  as  best  may  become  a  soldier, 
and  let  me  add,  as  best  may  become  a  proud  and  well  born  gentleman  ;  but 
humanity  and  common  justice  should  at  least  be  accorded  to  my  memory.  T 
am  an  unfortunate  man,  but  no  traitoi\"  , 

The  members  were  visibly  impressed  by  the  last  sentences  of  the  prisoner. 
No  further  question  however  was  asked,  and  he  was  again  removed  by  the 
escort,  who  had  been  wondering  spectators  of  the  scepe,  to  the  cell  he  -had  so 
recently  occupied.  The  room  was  then  cleared  of  the  witnesses  and  stran- 
gers, the  latter  comprising  nearlj'^  the  whole  of  the  officers  off^  duty,  when  the 
court  proceeded  to  deliberate  on  the  evidence,  and  pass  sentence  on  the  ac- 
cused. 


'      •      V 


CHAPTER  VI.    >    .  / 


I 


I 


Although  the  young  and  sensitive  De  Haldimar  had  found  physical  relief 
in  the  summary  means  resorted  to  by  the  surgeon,  the  moral  wound  at  his 
heart  not  only  remained  unsoothed,  but  was  rendered  more  acutely  painful  by 
the  wi-etched  reflections,  which  now  that  he  had  full  leisure  to  review  the 
ptkst,  and  anticipate  the  future  in  all  the  gloom  attached  to  both,  so  violently 
assailed  him.  From  the  moment,  when  his  brother's  strange  and  mysterious 
disai)])earauce  had  been  comuumicatcd  by  the  adjutant  in  the  manner  wc  have 
already  seen,  his  spirits  ha<l  bron  deeply  and  foarfully  depressed.  Still  he  had 
eveiy  i'eni4on  to  expect,  from  the  well-known  character  of  Halloway.  the  strong 
hope  oxproKscd  by  the  latter  might  be  realized  ;  and  that,  at  the  hour  appoint- 
ed for  trinl,  his  brother  would  be  present  to  explain  the  cause  of  his  iny.'^tcri- 
o»is  al)sena\  justify  the  conduct  of  his  subordinate,  and  exonerate  liim  from 
the  treachery  with  which  he  now  stood  charged.  Yet.  jiowerful  as  this  hope 
\ras,  it  was  unavoidably  qnalilirrl  by  dispiriting  doubt ;  for  a  nature  aflection- 
ate  and  bland,  as  that  of  Charles  de  Haldininr,  could  not  but  harhoi  distrust, 
while  a  shadow  of  uncertaintv,  in  regard  to  the  fate  of  a  brother  so  tenderly 
loTod.  remained.  He  had  fbrk'd  himself  to  helieve  as  niueji  as  possible  what 
ho  wished,  and  the  effort  had,  to  a  certain  extent,  succeeded  ;  but  there  liad 
been  .something  so  solemn  and  so  impRNsive  in  the  scene  that  had  passed 
when  the  prisoner  was  first  brought  up  for  trial,  something  so  fearfully  pro- 
phetic in  the  wild  language  of  his  unhappy  wife,  he  had  founil  it  inipoasiblo 
to  resist  tho  influence  of  the  almost  superstitious  awe  thoy  had  awakened  lo 
his  heart. 


it 


W  A  C  >)  U  S  T  A 


O  R 


TH^     PROPHECY. 


43 


What  the  feelings  of  the  young  officer  were  snhsoqucntly,  when  in  the  per- 
son of  the  murdered  man  on  the  common,  the  victim  of  Sir  Evenird  Valletort'g 
aim,  he  recognized  that  brother,  ^A'hose  disappearance  had  occsujionfed  him  so 
mucli  inquietude,  we  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  ;  their  nature  is  best  shown 
in  the  etlect  they  produced — the  almost  overwhelming  agony  of  body  and 
mintl,  which  had  boine  him.  like  a  stricken  i)lant,  unresisting  to  the  earth, 
tftit  nuw  that,  in  the  calm  nnd  solitude  of  his  chamber,  he  had  leisure  to  re-- 
view  the  fearful  events  conspiring  to  produce  this  extremity,  his  anguish  of 
spirit  was  ■even  deeper  than  when  the  first  rude  shock  of  conviction  had  dash- 
ed upon  his  understanding.  A  tide  of  suH'eiing,  that  overpowered,  without 
rendering  him  sensible  of  its  positive  and  abstract  character,  had,  in  the  first 
instance,  opjircssed  his  faculties,  and  ol»scured  his  perception  ;  but  now,  slow, 
sure,  stinging,  and  gradually  succeeding  each  other,  came  every  bitter  thought 
and  reliec^ion  of  which  that  tide  ^vas  composed ;  and  the  generous  heart  of 
Charles  de  Haldimar  was  a  i)rey  to  feelings  that  would  have  wrung  the  soul, 
and  wounded  the  sensibilities  of  one  far  less  gentle  .and  susceptible  than  him- 
self 

Between  Sir  Everard  Talletort  and  Charles  de  Haldimar,  who,  it  has  ah-eady 
been  remarked,  were  lieutenants  in  Captain  Blessington's  company,  a  senti- 
ment of  friondi^hip  had  been  suffered  to  spring  up  almo.st  from  the  moment 
of  Sir  Everar<l's  joining.  'J"he  young  mer.  were  nearly  of  the  same  age  ;  and 
although  the  one  was  all  gentleness,  the  other  all  •  spirit  and  vivacity,  not  a 
shade  of  disrmion  had  at  any  period  intervened  to  interrupt  thdialmost  broth- 
erly attaohmtnt  subsisting  between  them,  and  each  felt  the  disposition  of  the 
other  was  the  one  most  assiuiilated  to  his  own.  In  fact.  Sir  Everard  was  far 
from  being  the  ephymeitil  character  he  was  often  willing  to  appear.  Under  a 
semblance  of  alfectaiion,  and  njticJi  assumed  levit}'^  of  manner,  never,  however, 
persontdly  olfcnsive.  lu  concealed  a  biave,  geneious.  warm,  and  manly  heart, 
and  talents  becoming  the  rank  he  held  in  society,  such  as  would  not  have  ro- 
iiected  discredit  oh  one  numbering  twice  his  years.  He  liad  entered  the  army, 
as  most  voung  men  of  rank  ustially  did  at  that  period,  rather  for  the  agre- 
mens  it  lield  forth,  than  with  any  serious' view  to  advancement  in  it  as  a  pro- 
fession. Still  he  entertained  the  ])raiseworthy  desire  of  being  something  more 
than  what  is,  among  military  men,  emphatically  termed  a  foather-bed  soldier. 
Not  that  we  mean,  however,  to  a,s.sert  he  was  not  a  feather-bed  soldier  in  its 
more  literal  sense ;  m  fsict,  liis  own  observations,  recorded  in  the  early  part 
of  this  volume,  sufficiently  prove  his  predilection  for  the  indulgence  of  press- 
ing his  downy  couch  to  what  is  termed  a  decent  hour  in  the  day. 

We  need  scarcely  state  Sir  Everard's  theories  on  this  important  subject 
wure  seldom  reduced  to  practice  ;  foi-,  even  long  before  the  Indians  had  bro* 
ken  o\it  into  open  hostility,  when  such  precautions  were  rendered  indispensa- 
l)le,  (/ulonel  de  Haldimar  had  nevei'  suHered  either  officer  or  man  to  finger  on 
his  pillow  after  the  fiist  laint  dawn  had  appeared.  This  was  a  system  to 
which  Sir  Everard  could  never  reconcile  himself.  "If  the  men  must  be 
drilled."  he  urged,  "  with  a  view  to  theii-  health  and  discipline,  why  not  j)lace 
t4iem  under  tiie  direction  of  the  adjutant  or  theoflicer  of  the  day.  whoever  he 
might  chance  to  be,  and  not  unnece.s.sarily  disturb  a  bodv  of  gentlemen  from 
their  comfortable  slumbers  at  that  tmcon.scionable  hour  ?"  Poor  Sir  Ev(>rard  ! 
this  was  th(i  only  grievance  of  which  he  complained,  and  ho  complainod 
bitterly.  Scarcel}'  a  morning  pa.s.svd  without  his  inveighing  loudly  against 
the  barbarity  of  such  a  custon'i ;  threatening  at  the  same  time,  amid  the 
laughter  of  his  companions,  to  cpiit  the  service  in  disgust  at  what  he  called  so 
nngentlemanly  and  gothic  n  habit ;  and,  but  Tor  two  motives,  there  is  every 
probaV»ility  hew'tiild  Iwive  seriously  availed  himself  of  the  earliest  opportunity 
of  retiring.  The  lir.st  of  thesttA^is  his  growmg  friendship  for  the  amiable 
and  gentle  Charles  do  llaldinuu-;  the  second,  the  secret,  and  scarcely  to  him- 
nelf  ucknow  ledge»l,  i'l  srest  which  had  been  created  in  his  heart  for  hio  sister 


■I  1  \ 

.,.1  - . 


,  <  I 


■'r-.'^l 


n  ■ 


mi 


■-,)'- 


I 


.  -*■' 


W  »' 


|:. 


I    '-> 


■  ii; 


It 


WACOUSTA 


OR.      THl       PROPHFCY. 


Clara;  \vh  >m  he  only  knew  from  the  plowii  j:  descriptions  of  his  ftiend.  anrt 
the  stronc  resemblance  she  was  said  to  bear  to  him  b}'  J;he  other  officers. 

C)ai-a  de  TIaldimar  was  the  constant  theme  of  her  younger  brother's  praise. 
Her  image  was  ever  uppermost  in  his  though'ts — her  name  ever  hovering  on 
his  lips ;  and  when  alone  with  his  fnend  Yalletort,  it  was  his  delight  to  dwell 
on  the  worth  and  accontplishments  of  his  amiable  and  beloved  sister.  Then, 
indeed,  would  his  usuall}-  calm  blue  eye  sparkle  with  the  animation  of  hi! 
Bubje^ct.  while  his  coloring  cheek  marked  all  tjie  warmth  and  sincerity  with 
which  he  bore  attestation  to  her  gentleness  and  her  goodness.  The  heart  ^^ 
Charles  de  Ilaldimar.  soldier  as  he  was,  was  pure,  generoi  s,  and  uusopliisti- 
cated  as  that  of  the  .sister  whom  he  so  constantly  eulogised ;  and,  while  list- 
ening to  his  eloquent  praises,  Sir  Everard  learnt  to  feel  an  interest  in  a  being 
whom  all  dtclai'cd  to  be  the  counterpart  of  her  brother,  as  well  in  personal 
attraction  as  in  singleness  of  nature.  With  all  his  affected  levity,  and  not- 
withstanding his  early  initiation  into  fashionable  life — the  matter-of-fact  life 
which  strikes  at  the  existence  of  'our  earlier  and  dearer  illusions — there  was  a 
dash  of  romance  in  the  chai-acter  of  the  young  baronet  which  tended  much  to 
increase  th^  pleasure  he  alwa)'S  took  in  the  warm  descriptions  of  his  friend. 
The  very  circumstance  of  her  being  personalh'  unknown  to  him.  was.  with  Sir 
Everard.  a«  additional  motive  for  interest  in  Miss  de  Ilaldimar. 

Inia,  '"'ation  and  mystery  generally  work  their  way  together ;  and  as  there 
was  a  shade  of  mystery  attached  to  Sir  Evcrard's  very  ignorance  of-  the  per- 
son of  one  wliom  he  admii'cd  and  esteemed  from,  report  alone,  imagination 
was  not  slow  to  improve  the  opportunity,  and  to  endow  the  object  with  char- 
acteri.stics.  which  perhaps  a  more  intimate  knowledge  of  the  party  might  have 
led  him  to  qualify'.  In  this  manner,  in  earl}'  youth,  are  the  silken  and  will- 
ing fetters  of  the  generous  and  enthusiastic  forged.  We  invest  some  object 
whose  praises,  whispered  secretly  in  the  ear.  have  glided  imperceptibly  to  the 
heart,  with  all  the  attributes  supplied  by  our  own  vivid  and  readily  according 
imaginations ;  and  so  accustomed  do  we  become  to  linger  on  the  picture,  we 
adore  the  semblance  with  an  ardor  which  the  original  often  fails  to  excite. 

V/ii  do  not  say  Clara  de  Ilaldimar  would  have  fallen* short  of  the  high  esti- 
mate formed  of  her  worth  by  the  friend  of  her  brother ;  neither  is  it  to  be 
understood,  Sir  Everard  suffered  this  fair  vision  of  his  fancy  to  lead  him  into 
the  wild  and  labyrinthan  paths  of  boyish- romance. 

Whatever  were  the  impi-e.ssions  of  the  young  baronet,  and  however  ho  might 
have  been  inclined  to  suffer  the  fair  image  of  the  gentle  Clara,  such  as  he  was 
perhaps  wont  to  paint  it,  to  exercise  its  spell  upon  his  fancy,  certain  it  is,  he 
never  exprcs.«;ed  to  her  brother  more  than  that  esteem  and  interest  which  it 
was  but  natural  he  should  accord  to  the  sister  of  his  friend.  Neither  had 
Charles  de  Ilaldimar.  even  amid  all  his  warmth  of  commendation,  ever  made 
the  slightest  allusion  to  his  .sister,  that  could  bo  construed  into  a  desire  she 
should  awaken  any  unusual  or  extraordinar}'^  sentiment  of  preference.  Much 
and  fervently  as  he  desired  such  an  event,  there  was  an  innate  sense  of  decorum, 
and  it  may  bo  secret  pride,  that  cau.sed  him  to  abstain  from  any  obsei'vation 
having  the  remotest  tendency  to  compronuse  the  spotless  delkapy  of  his  ador- 
ed sister ;  and  such  he  would  have  considered  any  expi-e.ssion  oi'  his  own  hopes 
and  wishes,  where  no  declaration  of  preference  had  been  previously  made. 
There  was  another  motive  for  this  reserve  on  the  part  of  the  young  ofllccr. 
The  baronet  was  an  only  child,  and  would,  on  attaining  his  majority,  of  which 
he  wanted  only  a  few  months,  become  the  ix)ssessor  of  a  large  fortune,  iiis 
lister  Clara,  on  the  contrary,  had  little  beyond  her  own  fab'  fame  and  the 
beauty  transmitted  to  her  by  the  mother  she  had  lost.  Colonel  de  Ilaldimar 
was  a  younger  son,  and  had  nuwle  his  wa^,  *hrough  life  with  his  sword,  and 
.n  un'bleinished  reputation  alone — ajlvantagcjjg  he  had  shared  with  his  Guld- 
en, for  the  two  ddest  of  whom  his  iutersst  and  long  services  had  procured 
'immissioiv.i  in  his  own  regiment. 

But  even  while  Charles  de  Ilaldimar  abstained  from  all  expression  of  hii 


4 


11  i;~ 


h 
if 


WAtJOUSTA;      OR,     THE      PROPHECV 


# 


hopes,  he  had  fully  made  up  his  mind  that  Sh-  Everard  and  his  sister  were  so 
formed  for  each  other,  it  was  next  to  ;in  impossibility  they  could  meet  wfth- 
out  lovin.a:.  In  one  of  .his  letters  to  the  latter,  he  had  alluded  to  his  friend 
in  terms  of  so  high  and  earnest  panegyric,  that  Clara  had  acknowledged,  in 
reply,  she  was  prepared  to  find  in  the  young  baronet  one  wriom  she  shonici 
regard  with  partiality,  if  it  were  only  on  account  of  the  friendship  subsisting 
between  him  apd  hei'  bioMicr.  This  admission,  however,  was  conunnnicatcd 
in  confidence,  and  the  young  offii'er  had  religiously  preserved  his  .sister's  secret. 
These  and  fifty  other  !"e<H)i lections  now  crowded  on  the  mind  of  the  sulferer 
only  to  render  the  intensity  of  his  anguish  more  complete ;  among  the  bit- 
terest of  which  was  the  certainty  that  the  mysterious  events  of  the  past  night 
had  raised  up  an  insuperable  barriei-  to  tl\is  union ;  for  how  could  Clara  de 
Haldimar  become  the  wife  of  him  whose  hands  were,  however  innocently, 
stained  with  the  life-blood  of  her  brother !  To'  dwell  on/this,  and  the  loss 
of  that  brother,  was  little  short  of  madnes.s,  and  yet  "De  Haldimar  cotdd 
think  of  nothing  else ;  nor  for  a  period  could  the  loud  booming  of  the 
cannon  from  the  ramparts,  every  rcpoi't  of  which  shook  his  chamber  to 
its  very  foundations,  Viall  off'  his  attention  from  a  subject  which,  while 
it.  pained,  engros.se<i  every  faculty  Jind  absory)ed  every  thought.  At  l^englh, 
towards  the   clo.^e.  he  calhMt  faintly   to  the  old  aiul    faithfid  soldier,'   who. 


at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  stood  watching  every  chan|^'  of  his  master's  coun- 
tenance, to  know  the  cause  of  the  cannonade.  On  1)eing  informi';^  the  bat- 
teries in  the  rear  were  covering  the  retieat  of  Captain  Erskine,  who.  in  his 
attempt  to  obtain  the  body,  had  been  .surprised  by  the  Indians,  a  new  direc- 
tion was  temporai'ily  given  to  his  thoughts,  and  he  now  manifested  the  ut-. 
most  impatience  to  know  the  result. 

In  a  few  minutes  Morrison,  who,  in  defiance  of  the  surgeon's  strict  order 
not  on  any  account  to  quit  the  room,  had  flo\vn  to  obtain  some  intelligence 
which  he  trusted  might  remove  tho^anxiety  of  his  suffering  master,  again 
made  his  appearance,  stating  the  corpse  was  already  secured,  and  close  .under 
the  gims  of  the  fort,  beneath  which  the  detachment,  though  hotly  assailed 
from  the  forest,  were  also  fast  retreating. 

•  And  is  it  really  my  brother.  Morri.son  ?  Are  you  quite  certain  that  't  is 
Japtaih  de  Haldimar  ?"  asked  tne  young  officer,  in  the  eager  accents  of  one 
▼ho.  with  the  fullest  conviction  on  his  mind,  yet  graR]is  at  the  faintest  shadow 
{  a  consoling  doubt.  "Tell  me  th.^t  it  is  not  my  brother,  and  half  of  what 
^  possess  in  the  world  shall  be  yours."  "     .  - 

The  old  soldier  brushed  a  tear  from  his  eye.  "  God  bless  you,  Mr.  fie  Ilal- 
.imar,  I  would  giv&  half  ^ly  grey  hairs  to  be  able  to  do  .so  ;  but  it  is.  indeed, 
oo  truly  the  captain  who  has  been  killed.  I  ,saw  the  very  wings  of  l\is  regi- 
:K»ntals  as  he  lay  on  his  face  on  the  litter." 

Charles  dc  Haldimar  groaned  aloud.  "Oh  God!  oh  God!  would  that  I 
lad  never  lived  to  see  this  day."  Then  .springing  suddenly  up  in  his  bed — 
*  Morrison  where  are  my  clothes  ?  I  iijsist  on  seeing  my  slaughtered  l)rother 
myself." 

•'  Good  Heaven,  sir,  consider,"  said  the  old  man,  approaching  the  bed.  and 
attempting  to  replace  the  covering  which  hiid  been  spurned  to  its  very  foot. — 
••  consider  you  are  in  a  burning  fev(jr.  and  the  slightest  cold  may  kill  you  alto - 
J  ether.  The  doctor's  orders  itre,  you  were  on.  no  account  to  get  up."  Tht 
« tTort  made  by  the  unfortunate  youth  was  momentary.  Faint  from  the  blooti 
I  e  had  lost,  and  giddy  from  the  excitement  of  his  feelings,  he  sunk  back  ex- 
hausted on  his  pillow,  and  wept  like  a  child. 

Old  Morrison  shed  tears  also ;  for  his  heart  bled  for  the  sufferings  of  one 
whom  he  had  niu-sed  and  played  with  even  in  early  infancy,  and  whom,  al- 
though his  master,  lie  reganled  with  the  affection  he  would  have  borne  to  his 
own  child.  A'<  he  had  Justly  observed,  he  would  have  willingly  p^ven  half 
his  remaining  3  ears  to  be  ible  lo  remove  the  source  of  the  sorrow  which  so 
derply  oppn'ssed  him. 


■k- 


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' .  ''V'''i'' 


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r  'i 


46 


WACOVSTA;      or,      ^.-IE     t'ROPHECY. 


When  this  paroxysm  had  somewhat  subsided,  De  Haldiraar  became  more 
composed ;  but  his  was  rather  that  composure  which  grows  out  of  the  apathy 
produced  by  overwhelming  grief.  J;han  the  result  of  any  relief  altbrded  to  his 
suffering  heart  by  the  tears  ho  had  shed.  He  had  continued  some  time  in 
this  faint  and  apparently  tranquil  state,  when  confused  sounds  in  the  barrack- 
yard,  followed  by  the  raising  of  the  heavy  drawbridge,  announced  the  return 
of  the  detachment.  Again  he  started  up  in  his  bed  and  demanded  his  clothes, 
declaring  his  intention  to  go  out  and  receive  the  corpse  of  his  murdered  broth- 
er. All  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  faithful  Moirison  was'  now  hkely  to 
prove  fruitless,  when  suddenly  the  door  opened,  and  an  officer  burst  hurriedly 
into  the  room. 

"  Courage  !  courage,!  my  dear  De  Haldimar ;  I  am  the  bearer  of  good  news. 
Your  brother  is  not  the  person  who  has  been  slain." 

Again  De  Haldimar  sank  back  upon  his  pillow,  overwhelmed  by  a  variety 
of  conflicting  emotions.  A  moment  afterwards,  and  he  exclaimed  reproach- 
fiiDy,  yet  almost  gasping  with  the  eagerness  of  his  manner j> — 

"  For  God's  sake,  Sumners — in  the  name  of  common  humanity,  do  not  trifle , 
with  my  feelings.    If  you  would  seek  to  lull  me  with  false  hopes,  you  are 
wrong.  •  I  am  prepared  to  hear  and  bear  the  worst  at  present ;  but  to  be 
undeceived  again  would  break  my  he&rt." 

"I  swear  to  you  by  every  thing  I  have  been  taught  to  revere  as  sacred," 
solemnly  returned  Ensign  Sumners,  deeply  touched  by  the  affliction  he  wit- 
nessed, "  what  I  state  is  strictly  true.  Captain  Erskine  himself  sent  me  to 
tell  you." 

"  What,  is  he  only  wounded  then  ?"  and  a  glow  of  mingled  hope  and  satis> 
faction  was  visible  even  through  the  flush  of  previous  excitement  on  the  cheek 
of  the  sufferer.  "  Quick,  Morrison,  give  me  my  clothes.  Where  is  my  broth- 
er, Sumners  ?"  and  again  he  raised  up  his  debilitated  frame  with  the  intention 
of  quitting  his  couch. 

''  De  Haldimar,  my  dear  De  Haldimar,  compose  yourself  and  listen  to  me. 
Your  brother  is  still  missing,  and  we  are  as  much  in  the  dark  about  his  fate 
as  ever.  All  that  is  certain  is,  we  have  no  positive  knowledge  of  his  death ; 
but  surely  that  is  a  thousand  times  preferable  to  the  horrid  apprehensions 
under  which  wie  have  all  hitherto  laborpd." 

"  What  mean  you,  Sumners  ?  or  am  I  so  bewildered  with  my  sufferings  as 
not  to  comprehend  you  clearly  ?  Nav,  nay,  forgive  me ;  but  I  am  almost 
heart-broken  at  this  loss,  arid  scarcely'know  what  I  say.  But  what  is  it  you 
nriean  ?    I  saw  my  unhappy  brother  lying  on  the  common  with  my  own  eyes. 

Poor  Valletort  himself "  here  a  rush  of  bitter  recollections  flashed  on  the 

memor)'^  of  the  young  man,  and  the  tears  coursed  each  othei  rapidly  dowf 
his  cheek.  His  emotion  lasted  a  few  moments,  and  he  pursued, — "Poor  Val 
letort  himself  saw  him,  for  he  was  nearly  as  much  overwhelmed  with  afflic- 
tion as  I  was ;  and  even  Morrison  beheld  him  also,  not  ten  minutes  since 
under  th»  very  walls  of  the  fort ;  nay,  distinguished  the  wings  of  his  unifoite 
and  yet  you  would  persuade  me  my  brother,  instead  of  being  brought  in  a 
corpse,  is  still  missing  and  alive.  This  is  little  better  than  trifling  with  m} 
wretchedness,  Stimners,"  and  again  he  sank  back  exhausted  on  his  pillovr. 

"  I  can  easily  forgive  your  deubts,  De  Haldimar,"  returned  the  sympathis 
ing  Sumners^  taking  the  hand  of  his  companion,  and  pressing  it  gently  in  his 
own  J  "  for,  m  truth,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  mystery  attached  to  the  whole 
affair.    I  have  not  seen  the  hody  myself;  >^ut  I  distinctly  heard  Captain  > 
Erskine  state  it  certainly  was  not  your  brother,  and  he  requested  me  to  ap-  ' 
prise  both  Sir  Everard  Valletort  and  vourself  of  the  fact." 

"  Who  is  the  murdered  man,  then  f  and  how  comes  ho  clad  in  the  uniform 
of  one  of  rur  officers?  Pshaw !  it  is  too  absurd  to  be  credited.  Eiskine  is 
mistaken — he  must  be  mistaken — it  cart  be  no  other  thtax  my  poor  brother 
Frederick.    Sumners,  I  am  sick,  faint,  with  this  cruel  uncertamty:  go,  my 


.*5; 


WACOUSTA 


OR,     THE     PROPHECY 


47 


dear  fellow,  at  once,  'intl  examine  the  body  ;  then  return  to  me,  and  satisfy 
my  doubts,  if  possible." 

"  Most  willingly,  if  you  desire  it,"  returned  Sumners,  moving  towards  the 
door ;  "  but  belieye  me,  De  Haldimar,  you  may  make  your  mind  tranquil  on 
the  subject — Erskine  spoke  with  certainty." 

"  Have  you  seen  Valletort  ?"  asked  De  Ilaldimar,  while  an  involuntary  shud- 
der pervaded  his  frame. 

"  r  have.  He  flew  on  the  instant  to  make  further  inquiries ;  and  was  in  the 
act  of  going  to  examine  the  body  of  the  murdered  man  when  I  came  here. 
But  hei-e  he  is  himself,  aiid  his  countenance  is  the  harbinger  of  any  thing  but 
a  denial  of  my  intelligence." 

"  Oh,  Charles,  what  a  weight  of  misery  has  been  removed  from  my  heart!" 
exclaimed  that  officer,  now  rushing  to  the  bedside  of  his  friend,  and  seizing 
his  extended  hand, — "  Your  brother,  let  us  hope,  still  lives." 

"Almighty  God,  I  thank  thee!"  fervently  ejaculated  De  Haldimar;  and 
then,  overcome  vrith  joy,  surprise,  and  gratitude,  he  again  sank  back  upon  his 
pillow,  sobbing  and  weeping  violently. 

Sumners  had,  with  delicate  tact,  retired  the  moment  Sir  Everard  made  his 
appearance :  for  he,  as  well  as  the  whole  body  of  officers,  was  awai-e  of  the^ 
close  friendship  thpit  subsisted  between  the  young  men. 

We  shall  not  attempt  to  paint  all  that  passed  between  the  friends  during 
the  first  interesting  moments  of  an  interview  which  neither  had  expected  to 
^njoy  again,  or  the  delight  and  satisfaction  with  which  they  congratulated 
themselves  on  the  futility  of  those  fears,  which,  if  realised,  must  have  embit- 
tered every  future  moment  of  their  lives  with  the  most  harrowing  recol- 
lections. 

With  that  facility  with  which  in  youth  the  generous  and  susceptible  are 
prone  to  exchange  their  tears  for  smiles,  as  some  powerful  motive  for  the  re- 
action may  prompt,  the  invalid  had  already,  and  for  the  moment,  lost  sight  of 
the  painful  past  in  the  pleasurable  present,  so  that  his  actual  excitement  was 
strongly  in  contrast  with  the  melancholy  he  had  so  recently  exhibited.  *  Never 
had  Charles  de  Haldimar  appeared  so  eminently  handsome ;  and  yet  his  beauty 
resembled  that  of  a  frail  and  delicate  woman,  rather  than  that  of  one  called  to 
the  manly  and  arduous  profession  of  a  soldier.  The  large,  blue,  long,  dark- 
lashed  eye,  in  which  a  shade  of  langor  harmonized  with  the  soft  but  animated 
expression  of  the  whole  countenance. — the  dimpled  mouth, —  the  small,  clear, 
an4  even  teeth, — all  these  now  characterised  Charles  de  Haldimar;  and  if  to 
these  we  add  a  voice  rich,  full,  and  melodious,  and  a  smile  sweet  and  fascinat- 
ing, we  shall  be  at  no  loss  to  account  for  the  readiness  with  which  Sir  Everard 
suffered  his  imagination  to  draw  on  the  brother  for  those  attributes  he  ascribed 
to  the  sister. 

It  was  while  this  impression  was  strong  upon  his  fancy,  he  took  occasion  to 
remark,  in  reply  to  an  observation  of  De  Haldimar's,  alluding  to  the  despair 
with  which  his  sister  would  have  been  seized,  had  she  known  one  brother  had 
fallen  by  the  hand  of  the  friend  of  the  other. 

"  The  grief  of  my  own  heart,  Charles,  on  this  occasion,  would  have  been 
little  inferior  to  her  own.  The  truth  is,  my  feelings  during  the  last  three 
hours  have  let  me  into  a  secret,  of  the  existence  of  which  I  was,  in  a  great  de- 
gree, ignorant  until  then :  I  scarcely  know  how  to  express  myself  for  the 
communication  is  so  truly  absurd  and  romantic  you  will  not  creiit  it."  Ha 
paused,  hesitated,  and  then,  as  if  determined  to  anticipate  the  Hdicule  he  seemed 
to  feel  would  be  attached  to  his  confession,  with  a  forced  half  laugh  pursued  r 
'•  The  fact  is,  Charles,  I  have  been  so  much  used  to  listen  to  your  warm  and 
eloquent  praises  of  your  sister,  I  have  absolutely,  I  will  not  say  fi^en  in  love 
witn-(that  would  be  going  too  far),  btit  conceived  so  strong  an  interest  in  her, 
that  my  most  ardent  desire  would  be  to  find  favor  in  her  eyes.  What  saj 
you,  my  friend  ?  are  you  inclined  to  forward  my  suit :  and  if  so,  is  there  aoj 
ehanoe  for  me,  think  you,  with  herself?" 


i^..>■ 


,    -I. ' 
■>-■•,.,  5 

'  '     '    *■ 

,<.■■'■;■ 


m  J 


.^     V 


Tl 


WA.COUSTA 


O  R 


THE     PROPHECY 


(t.    T,'    i 


Tie  breast  of  Charles  de  Haldinmr.  who  had  listened  with  deep  and  increHS* 
ing  attention  \fi  this  avowal,  swelled  high  with  pleasnreable  excitement,  and 
raising  himself  up  in  his  bed  with  one  hand,  while  he  grasped  one  of  Sir 
Ev^rard's  with  the  other,  he  exclaimed  with  a  transport  of  aflection  too  forci- 
ble to  be  controlled. — 

j('Oh,  Valletort,  Valletort !  this  is,  indeed,  all  that  was  wanting  to  complete 
my  happiness.  My  sister  Clara  I  adore  with  all  the  affection  of  my  nature ; 
I  love  her  better  than  my  own  life,  whicli  is  wrappeil  up  in  hers.  She  is  an 
angel  in  disposition, — all  that  is  dear,  tender,  and  affectionate, — all  that  i& 
gentle  and  lovely  in  woman  ;  one  whose  welfare  is  dearer  far  to  me  than  my 
own.  and  without  ^vhose  presence  I  could  not  live. '  Valletort,  that  prize, — 
that  dearer  half  of  myself,  is  youi's. — yours  for  ever.  I  have  long  wished  you 
should  love  ejich  other,  and  I  felt,  when  y^  met,  you  would.  If  I  have^ 
hitherto  forborne  from  expressing  this  fondest  wish  of  my  heal't,  it  has  been 
from  delicacy — from  a  natural  fear  of  compromising  the  purity  of  my  adored 
Clai'a.  No  ,y.  however,  you  have  confessed  yourself  interested,  by  a  descrip- 
tion that  falls  far  short  of  the  true  merit  of  that  dear  girl,  I  can  no  longer  dis- 
guise my  gi-atification  and  delight.  Valletort"  he  concludedf  impressively, 
"  there  is  no  other  man  on  earth  to  whom  1  would  say  so  much ;  but  you 
were  formed  for  each  other,  and  you  will,  you  must,  be  the  husband  of  my 
sister."  ^  ) 

If,  the  youthful  and^affectionate  De  Haldimar  was  happy,  Sir  Everard  was 
no  less  so ;  for  already,  with  the  enthusiasm  of  a  yojing  man  of  twenty,  he 
painted  to  himself  the  entire  fruition  of  those  dreams  of  happiness  that  na<? 
so  long  been  familiarised  to  his  imagination. 

A  single  knock  was  now  heard  at  the  door  of  the  apartment ;  is  was  opened 
and  a  sergeant  appeared  at  the  entrance. 

"  The  company  are  under  arms  for  punishment  parade,  Lieutenant  Valletort. 
saifl  the  man  touching  his  cap. 

In  an  instant,  the  visionary  prospects  of  the  young  men  gave  place  to  thi 
stern  realities  connected  vnth  that  announcement  of  punishment.  The  treaso: 
of  Hallo  way, — the  absence  of  Frederick  De  Haldimar^ — the  danger  by  whicl 
they  were  beset, — and  the  little  probability  of  a  re-umon  with  those  who  wei 
most  dear  to  them, — all  these  recollections  now  flashed  across  then  minds  wiU 
the  rapidity  of  thought ;  and  the  cbnversation  that  had  so  recently  passed  be 
tween  them  seemed  to  leave  no  other  impression  than  what  is  produced  froc 
apme  visionary  speculation  of  the  moment.  • 


*« 


'■•'r 


CHAPTER  VII. 


I 


As  the  bells  of  of  the  fort  tolled  the  tenth  hour  of  morning,  the  groups  of 
dispersed  soldiery,  waned  by  the  rolling  of  the  assembly  drum,  once  more 
fell  into  th'iir  respective  ranks  in  the  order  described  in  the  opening  of  this 
volume.  Soon  afterwards  the  prisoner  Halloway  was  re-conducted  into  the 
square  by  a  strong  escort,  who  took  their  stations  as  before  in  the  immediate 
/centre,  where  the  former  stood  principally  conspicuous  to  the  observation  of 
^  his  comrades.  His  countenance  was  paler,  and  had  less,  perhaps,  of  the  in- 
difference he  had  previously  manifested ;  but  to  supply  this  there  was  a  cer- 
tain §ubdue'  air  of  calm  dignity,  and  a  composure  that  sprang,  doubtless, 
fr6m  the  consciousness  of  the  new  character  in  which  he  now  appeared  before 
his  superiors.  Colonel  de  Haldimar  almost  immediately  followed  and  with 
him  were  the  principal  staff  of  the  garrison,  all  of  whom,  with  the  exception 
of  th*  sick  and  'wounded  and  their  attendants,  were  present  to  a  man.  .The 
former  took  from  the  hands  of  the  adjutant,  Lawson,  a, large  packet,  consisting 
of  several  sheets  of  folded  paper  closely  written  upon.  Tnese  were  the  pro-  ' 
ceedings  of  the  court-martial. 


t  H\.!^t.flit  tlJ'T' 


,i  ■*. 


wacousta;  or,  the  prophecy. 


40 


After  enumerating  the  several  charges,  ancT  detailing  the  evidence' of  the 
,  tfitnesses  examineil,  tlie  governor  came  at  length  to  the  finding  and  sentence 
of  the  com't,  which  were  as  follows : — 

'*  The  court  having  duly  considered  the  evidence  adduced  against  the  pris- 
oner, private  Frank  Halloway,  together  with  what  he  has  urged  in  his  defence, 
are  of  opinion, —  a 

" That  with  regard  to  the  first  charge,  it  is  not  proved.         ..  .,■'' ^% 

"  That  with  regard  to  the  second  charge,  it  is  not  proved. 

"  That  with  regard  to  the  third  charge,  even  by  his  own  voluntary  confes- 
sion, the  prisoner  is  guilty. 

"  The  court  having  found  the  prisoner  private  Frank  Halloway  guilty  of  the 
third  charge  preferred  against  him,  which  is  in  direct  violation  of  a  standing 
order  of  the  garrison  entailing  capital  pujjishment,  do  hereby  sentence  him, 
the  said  .prisoner,  private  Frank  Halloway,  to  be  shot  to  death  at  such  time 
and  place  as  the  ofiicer  commanding  may  deem  fit  to  appoint." 

Although  the  utmost  order  pervaded  the  ranks,  every  breath  had  been  ous- 
pendcd,  every  ear  stretched"  dui-ing  the  reading  of  the  sentence ;  and  now  that 
it  come  arrayed  in  terror  and  in  blood,  every  glance  was  twned  in  pity  on  its 
unhappy  victim.  But  Halloway  heard  it  with  the  ears  of  one  who  has  made 
up  his  nuHd  tcr  sutfcr ;  and  the  faint  half  smile  that  played  upon  his  lips 
spoke  more  in  scorn  than  in  sorrow.    Colonel  de  Haldimar  pursuod : — 

"  The  coiu-t  having  foimd  it  imperatively  incumbent  on  them  to  award  the 
punishment  of  death  to  the  prisoner,  private  Frank  Halloway,  at  the  same 
time  gladl}"^  avail  themselves  of  their  privilege  by  strongly  recommending  him 
to  mercy.  The  court  caHuot.  in  justice  to  the  character  of  the  prisoner,  refrain 
from  expressing  their  unanimous  conviction,  that  notwithstanding  the  myste- 
rious circumstances  which  have  led  to  his  confinement  and  trial,  he  is  entirely 
innocent  o*"  tiie  treachery  ascribed  to  him.  The  court  have  founded  this  con- 
viction on  ihe  excellent  chanfcter,  both  on  dut}-  and  in  the  field,  hitherto 
borne  by  the  prisoner, — his  well-known  attachment  to  the  officer  vrith  whose 
abduction  he  stands  charged, — and  the  manly,  open,  and  (as  the  court  are 
satisfied)  coiTect  history  given  of- his  former  life.  It  is,  moreover,  the  im- 
pression of  the  court,  that,  as  stated  by  the  prisoner,  his  guilt  of  the  third 
charge  has  been  the  result  only  of  his  attachment  for  Captain  de  Haldimar/ 
And  for  this,  and  the  reasons  above  assigned,  do  they  strongly  recommend 
the  prisoner  to  mercy. 

(Signed)  "  Noel  Blessington,  Captain  and  President.  ^ 

"  Sentence  approved  and  confirmed. 

f        V   ,     Charl.es  de  HaLdimar,  Colonel  and  Commandant.'* 

Whilis  these  concluding  remarks  of  the  court  were  being  read,  the  prisoner 
manifested  the  deepest  emotion.  If  a  smile  of  scorn  had  previously  played 
upon  his  lip,  it  was  because  he  fancied  the  court,  before  whom  he  had  sought 
to  vindicate  Ixis  fame,  had  judged  him  with  a  severity  not  inferior  to  His  colo- 
nel's i  but  now  that,  in  the  presence  of  his  companions,  he  heard  the  flatter- 
ing attestation  of  his  services,  coupled  even  as  it  was  with  the  sentence  that 
condemned  him  to  die,  tears  of  gratitude  and  pleasure  rose  despite  of  himself 
to  his  eyes ;  and  it  required  all  his  self-command  to  enable  him  to  $ibstaiu 
from  giving  expression  to  his  feelings  to\v«irds  those  who  had  so  generoUsly 
interpreted  the  motives  of  his  dereliction  firom  duty.  But  when  the  melan- 
choly and  startling  fact  of  the  approval  and  confirmation  of  the  sentence  met 
his  ear,  without  the  slightei^t  allusion  to  that  mercy  which  had  been  so  ur- 
gently recomn\^nded,  he  again  overcame  his  weakness,  and  exhibited  his 
wonted  air  of  calm  and  unconcern. 

"  Let  the  prisoner  be  removed,  Mr.  Lawson,"  ors^nd  the  goyemor.  whose 
litem  and  somewhat  dissatisfied  expression  of  countenance  was  the  tmlj  oom- 
ment  on  the  recommendation  for  merqr. 


m 


■>■'■■'' 


;r- 


0M\ 

m 


,1 


i 


^u4 


■   t 


f  ^ 


»;* 


6U 


vacousta;    or,   the    prophecy. 


The  order  was  promptly  executed.  Once  more  Halloway  left  the  square 
and  was  reconducted  to  the  cell  he  had  occupied  since  the  preceding  ni<j;ht. 

"  Major  Blackwater,"  pursued  the  governor,  "  let  a  detachment  consisting 
of  one-half  the  garrison  be  got  in  readiness  to  leave  the  fort  witliin  the  hour, 
•aptain  Wentworth,  three  pieces  of  field  artillery  will  be  required.  Let  then» 
be  got  ready  also."  lie  then  retired  from  the  area,  while  the  officers,  who 
had  just  received  his  commands,  prepared  to  fulfil  the  respective  duties  as- 
signed them.  .     .  '  • 

Since  the  first  alarm  of  the  garrison  no  opportunity  had  hitherto  been  af- 
forded the  officers  to  snatch  the  slightest  refreshment.  Advantage  wjis  now, 
taken  of  the  short  interval-  allowed  by  the  governor,  and  the}  all  repaired  to 
the  mess-room,  where  their  breakfast  had  long  since  been  provided.        -^ 

"  Well,  Blessington,"  remarked  Captain  Er.skine.  as  he  flUetl  his  plate  for 
the  third  time,  from  a  lai'ge  haunch  of  venison,  for  which  his  recent  skirmish 
with  the  Indians  had  given  him  an  unusual  telXsh.  "  so  it  appears  your  recom- 
mendation of  poor  Halloway  to  niercy  is  little  likely  to  be  attended  to.  Did 
you  remark  how  displeased  the  colonel  looked  as  he  bungled  through  it  ?  One 
might  almost  be  tempted  to  think  he  had  an  interest  in  the  man's  death,  so 
determined  doeg  he  appear  to  carry  his  point."  .  • 

Although  several  of  his  companions,  perhaps,  ft-lt  and  thought  the  same, 
still  there  was  no  one  who  would  have  ventured  to  avow  hLs  real  sentiments 
Jn  so  imqualified  a  manner.  Indeed  such  an  observation  proceeding  from  the 
lips  of  any  other  officer  would  have  excited  the  utmost  surprise ;  but  Captain 
Erskine,  a  brave,  bold*  frank,  and  somewhat  thoughtless  soldier,  was  one  of 
those  beings  who  are  privileged  to  say  anything.  His  opinions  were  usually 
expressed  without  cereraorj' ;  and  his  speech  was  not  the  most  circumspect 
noi0,  as  since  his  return  to  the  fbrt  he  had  swallowed,  fasting,  two  or  three 

glasses  of  a  favorite  spirit,  which,  without  intoxicating,  had  greatly  excited 
ira. 

"  \  remarked  enough,"  said  Captain  Blessington,  whQ  sat  leaning  his  head 
6n  one  hand,  while  with  the  other  he  occasionally,  and  almost  mechanically, 
raised  a  cup  filled  with  a  liquid  of  pale  blood'  color  to  his  lips. — "  quite 
enough  to  make  me  regret  from  my  very  soid  I  should  have  been  his  prin- 
cipal judge.  Poor  Halloway,  I  pity  him  much;  for,  on  my  honor,  I  believe 
him  to  be  the  gentleman  he  represents  himself." 

•  "  A  finer  fellow  does  not  live,"  remarked  the  last  remaining  officer  of  the 
grenadiers.  "  But  sm-ely  Colonel  de  Haldimar  cannot  mean  to  carry  the  sen- 
tence mto  effect.  The  recommendation  of  a  court,  couched  in  such  terms  as 
these,  ought  alone. to  have  some  weight  with  him," 

"  It  is  quite  clear,  from  the  fact  of  his  having  been  remanded  to  his  cell,  the 
execution  of  the  poor  fellow  will  be  deferred  at  least,"  observed  one  of  Cap- 
tain Erskine's  subalterns.  "  If  the  governor  had  intended  ho  should  sufl'er 
immediately,  he  would  have  had  him  shot  the  moment  after  his  sentence  was 
read.  But  what  is  the  meaning  and  object  of  this  new  sortie  ?  and  whither 
are  we  now  going  ?  Do  you  Imow,  Captain  Erskhie,  our  company  is  again 
ordered  for  this  duty  ?" 

"Know  it,  Leslie !  of  course  I  do ;  and  for  that  reason  am  I  paying  my 
court  to  the  more  substantial  part  of  the  breakfast.  Come,  Blessington,  m V 
dear  fellow,  you  have  quite  lost  your  appetite,  and  we  may  have  sharp  work 
before  we  get  back.  Follow  my  example :  throw  that  nasty  blood-thicken; 
ing  sassafras  sway,  and  lay  a  foundation  from  this  venison.  None  sweeter  is 
to  be  found  in  the  forests  of  America.  A  few  slices  of  that,  and  then  a  glass 
eafch  of  my  best  Jamaica,  and  we  shall  have  strength  to  g6  through  the  ex- 
pedition, if  its  object  be  the  capture  of  the  bold  Ponteac  himself." 

"  I  presume  the  object  is  rather  to  seek  for  Captam  de  Haldimar "  said 
Lieutenant  Boyce,  the  officer. of  the  grenadiers;  "but  in  that  case  why  not . 
■end  out  his  own  company  ?" 

"  Because  the  colonel  prefers  trusting  to  cooler  heads  and  more  experienced' 


'M 


•1 


wacousta;    or,    the    prophecy, 


51 


arms,"  jjood-hnmoredl}'-  observed  Captain  Erfikine.  "  Blcssington  is  cur  Ed- 
iiior.  ami  liis  men  are  all  old  stagers.  My  lads,  too.  have  had  their  mettle  up  , 
already  tl'i'  moniin;:;,  and  th(^i"e  is  nothing  like  that  to  prepare  men  fdl  a 
dash  of  eriter])rise.  It  is  \vith  thoni  as  with  blood  horses,  the  tnore  you  put 
them  on  thcii"  speed  the  less-anxious  are  they  to  quit  the  course.  Well, 
.Jolinstone.  my  brave  Scot,  read^'  for  another  skirkmishl"  ho  asked,  as  that 
officer  Tio.w  entered  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  an  appetite  bttle  inferior  to  that 
of  his  captain. 

"  AVith  '  nunquani  non  paratus'  for  my  motto,"  gaily  returned  the-young 
man,  "  it  were  odd.  indeed,  if  a  mere  scratch  like  this  should  prevent  me  from 
establishi'iiL;'  my  claim  to  it  by  following  wherever  my  gallant  captain  leads." 

"  Most  cotirteously  spoken,  and  little  in  the  spirit  of  a  man  yet  smarting  under 
the  intliction  of  a  rifle  woun,d,  it  must  be  confes.sed."  remarked  Lieutenant 
Leslie.  "  But.  .Johnstone,  3'oih  should  bear  in  mind  a  too  close  adherence  to 
that  motto  has  been,  in  seme  degree,  fatal  to  }our  family." 

•'  No  nil  lections,  Lesli^,  if  you  please.'*  returned  his  brother  subaltern, 
slightly  reddening.  •'  If  the  head  of  our  fnmily  was  unfortunate  enough  to 
be  considered  a  traitor  to  England,  he  was  not  so,  at  lea,st  to  Scotland ;  and 
Scotland  vas  the  land  of  his  birth.  B\it  let  his  political  errors  be  forgotten. 
Though  the  winged  spur  no  longer  adorn  the  booted  heel  of  an  earl  of  Ati- 
nandale,  the  time  may  not  be  far  distant  when  some  ,lil)eral  and  popular  mo-, 
narch  of  England  shall  restore  a- title  forfeits^d  neither  through  cowardice  nor 
dislionor.  but  Ci'om  an  erroneous  sense  of  duty." 

"  That  is  to  say,"  muttered  Ensign  Delme.  looking  »round  for  an  approval  " 
as  he  spoke,  "  that  our  present  king  is  neither,  liberal  nor  popular.     Wdl,  Mr. 
Johnston©,,  were  such  an  observation  to  reach  the  ears  of  Colonel  de  Haldimar  • 
you  would  stand  a  very  fiiir  chance  of  being  brought  to  a  court  martial.'^ 

"  That  is  to  say  nothing  of  the  kind,  sir,"  somewhat  flrcely  retorted  the  , 
young  Scot ;  "  but  anything  I  do  say  you  are  at  liberty  to  repeat  to  Colonel 
de  Haldimar,  or  whom  you  will.  I  cannot  understand  Leslie,  why  you 
should  have  made  ^ny  allusion  to  the  misfortunes  of  my  family  at  this  par 
ticular  moment,  and  in  this  public  manner.  I  trust  it  was  not  with  a  view  to 
offend  me  ;"  and  he  fixed  his  large  black  eyes  upon  his  brother  subaltern,  as 
if  he  would  have,  read  eveiy  thoiight  of  his  mind. 

"  Upon  my  honor,  Johnstone,  i  meani  nothing  of  the  kind," 'frankly  re- 
turneil  Le^slie.  "  I  merelyhneant  to  hint  that  as  you  had^ad  your  share  of 
service  this  morning,  you  might,  at  least,  have  suffered  me  to  borrow  your 
spurs,  while  you  reposed  fpr  the  present  on  your  laurels." 

"  There  are  my  gay  and  gallant  Scots,"  exclaimed  Captain  Erskine,  as  he 
swallowed  off  a  glass  of  the  old  JamaiciEi  which  stood  before'  him,  and  with 
which  he  usjiall)  neutralised  the  acidities  of  a  meat  breakfast. .  "  Settled  like 
gentlemen  and  lads  of  spirit,  as  ye  are,"  he  pursued,  as  the  young,  men  cor- 
dially shook  each  other's  hand  across  the  table.  "  What  an  enviable  com- 
mand is  mine,  to  lj»ve  a  company  of  brave  fellows  who  would  face  the  devil 
hin^self  w<jre  it  necessary  ;  aijd  two  hot  and  imjjatient  subs.,  who  are  ready 
to  cut  each  other's  throat  for  the  pleasure  of  accompanying  me  against  a  set 
of  savages  that  are  little  better  than  so  many  devils.  Oome,  Jdh&tone,  you 
know  the  colonel  allows-  us  but  one  sub.  at  a  time,  in  consequence  of  our  ■ 
scarcity  of  officers,  therefore  it  is  but  fair  Leslie  should  have  nis  turn.  It 
will  not  bo  long,  I  daro  say,  before  we  shall  have  another  brush  with  the 
rascals."  t*  .  ' 

"  In  my  opinion,"  observed  Captain  Blessington,  who  had  been  a  silent 
and  thoughful  witness  of  what  was  passing  around  him,  "neither  Leslie  nor 
Johnstone  would  evince  so  much  anxiety,  were  thfey  aware  of  the  true  nature 
of  the  duty  for  which  our  cor-panies  have  been  ordered.  Depend  upon  it,  it 
is  no  search  after  Captiain  de  Jlaldimar  in  which  we  are  about  to  be  engaged 
for  much  as  the  colonel  loves  bis  son,  he  would  on  no  account  Qompromis* 


•  .:t' 

■ '"  , 

■  :•  ft,  •■ 

':;:^-. 

."v*      ,  :'■ 

*.  -^.i- 

vi . 

'i 

4,   '■• 


5  >.| 


mII 


ir,' 


I  j: 


m 


*•£'    ) 


62 


wacousta;    or,   the    prophecy 


it: 


f  Its :  • 
J]' 


the  safety  of  the  gai-rison,  by  sending  a  party  into  the  forest,  where  poor  De 
'Haldimar,  if  aliv^,  is  at  all  likely  to  be  found." 


"Faith  3'^ou  are  right,  Blc:;sington ;  the  governor  is  not  one  to  .run  thes^ 
sort  of  risks  on  every  occas'un.  My  chiofsurpri.se,  indeed,  is,  that 'he  sutferecP 
me  to  venture  even  upon  tl\e  common  ;  but  if  we  are  not  designed  for  some 


■hostile  <ixpedition,  why  leave  the  foi  t.:it  all  ?" 

'■•Tho  question  will  need  no  answer  if  Malfowaybe  found  to  accompany  us." 
•''Pfrha!  why  should  Halloway  be  taken  out  for  the  purpose?  If  he  bo 
shot  at  all,  he  will  Jbe  shot  on  the  ramparts,  in  the  presence  of,  and  as  an  ex- 
ample to,  the  whole  garrison.  Still,  on  reflectioji.  I  cannot  but  think  it  im- 
possible the  sentence  should  be  carriod  into  full  effect,  after  the  strong,  nay, 
the  almos*^  unprecedented  recommendation  to  mercy  recorded  on  the  face  of 
the  proceedings." 

Captain  Blessinglon  shook  his  head  de.spondingly.  "  "What  think  you, 
Erskine,  of  the  policy  of  making  an  example,  which  ma}^  be  witnessed  by  the 
enemy  as  well  as  the  garrison  ?  It  is  evident,  from  his  demeanor  throughout, 
nothing  will  convince  the  colonel  that  Halloway  is  not  a  traitor,  and  he  may 
think  it  advi.sable  to  strike  terror  into  the  minds  of  the  savages,  by  an  execu- 
tion which  will  have  the  effect  Of  showing  the  treason  of  the  soldier  to  have 
been  discovered.' 

In  this  opinion  many  of  the  olficers  now  concurred  ;  and  as  the  fate  of  .the 
unfortunate  Halloway  began  to  assume  a  character  of  almost  certainty,  even 
the  spirit  of  the  gjillant  Erskine,  the  least  subdued  by  the  recent  distressing 
eventj;,  was  overclouded  ;  and  all  sank,  as  if  b}'  one  consent,  into  silent  com- 
munion with  thuir  thoughts,  as  they  almost  mechanical])'  coinpleted  the  fneal. 
at  which  habit  rather  than  appetite  still  continued  them.  Before  any  of  them 
had  yet  risi'n  from  the  table,  a  loud  and  piercing  scream  met  their  ears  from 
withoitl ;  and  so  quick  and  imivcrsal  was  the  nioveinent  it  produced,  that  its 
echo  had  .scarcely  yet  died  away  in  distance,  when  the  whole  of  the  breakfast 
party  had  issued  from  the  room,  and  were  already  speetators  of  the  cause. 

As  the  officcis  now  passed  from  the  mess-room  nearly  opposite  to  the  gate, 
they  ubserved,  at  that  part  of  the  barracks  whieii  ran  at  right  angles  with  it, 
and  immediately  in,  front  of  the  apartment  of  the  yotnt'jor  l)e  Hiildiiiiar, 
wUenee  he  ha/1  a])pRrently  just  i.s^ued.  th''  governor,  struggling,  though  gently, 
.to  di.stmgage  himself  from  a  female,  who,  with  disutilered  hair  and  <lresH,  lay 
almo!;t  prostrate  u|)on  tlio  piazza,  and  clasping  his  booted  h'g  \»Mth  an  energy 
evidently  'borrowed  frojii  the  mOst  rooted  despair.  The  quick  (?ye  of  the 
haughty  man  had  already  rested  on  the  group  of  officers  drawn  by  the  scream 
of  th(^  supplicant.  Numbers,  too,  of  the  meti,  attracted  by  the  .same  cause, 
were  collected  in  front  of  thwr  i-espivtive  block-h*uses.  and  looking  from  the 
windows  of  the  rooms  in  which  they  were 'also  breakfasting,  preparatory  to 
the  expedition.  Vexed  and  irrittiied  beyond  measure,  at  bein.'j;  thus  made  a 
con.s^jieuous  object  of  observation  to  his  inferiors,  the  nnbvijling  governor 
mndV' >i  violent  and  .successful  oflbrt  to  diseng.age  his  lejr ;  uiid  then  without 
uttering  a  word,  orotherwise  tioticing  the  unhap|)\  being  vvlio  lay  f'xtende(F 
at  his  feet,  ho  stalked  across  the  parade  to  his  apartjiient»i  at  tin-  opposite  an- 
ele.  without  appearing  to  JiiamTest  the  slightest  consciousness  of  the  sct^nQ  that 
had  awakeiKKl  such  universal  attention. 

Severiffof  the  offfcers,  amotig  whom  was  (^aptj^in  Ble.s.singlon,  now  hastened 
to  the  assijitanee  of  the  female,  whom  nil  had  recognised,  from  tlie  first,  to 
be  th(f  intenisting  and  unluippy  wife  of.  Halloway.  Many  of  the  conjrades 
of  the  latter,  who  had  heen  pained  and  pitying  spectators  of  the  scene, 
also  advanced  for  the  same  pm-pose :  but,  on  perceiving  their  object  an- 
ticipated by  their  superiors,  they  withdrew  It)  the  block-hoii>Jes.  when:'e  they 
ha(1  issued.  Never'  was  grief  more  forcibly  depicted,  than  in  the  whole  ap- 
pearance of  this  unfortunate  woman  ;  never  di<l  anguish  assume  a  <'hrtracter 
more  fitted  to  touch  the  soul,  or  to  <  rmraand  respect.  Her  long  fair  hain 
that  had  hitherto  been  bid  under  the  ;oarse  mob  cap,  usually  won    by  th« 


i      . 


t)e 


lus." 
be 
ex- 
im- 

be  of 


ith  it. 


)  ortuse 


vr  AC  O  U  ts  T  A.;     O  R ,     T  H  E     1»  R  O  P  H/t  c  v  I 

•■   .  ■;'  •■"■  ■  .-■■•''  '>-■ 

wi^e&  of  the  soldiers,  was  now  divesU'd  of  all  fasteninjr.  nnd'Iav  shadowing  a 
white  and  polished  bosom,  which,  in  her  violent  struggles  to  dctajn  the  gov- 
ernor, had  burst  from  its  rude  but  modest  coutinement,  an<l  was  now  dis- 
played in  all  the  dazziing  delicacy  of  youth  and  sex.  If  the  officers  9,azed 
for  a  moment  vvitli  excited  look  upon  charms  that  had  long  been  stranger.s  to 
their  sight,  and  of  an  order  they  litj,le  deemed  to  lind  in  Ellen  Halloway,  k 
was  but  the  involuntary  tribute  rendered  by"  nature  unto  beauty.  The  (ieptn  " 
and  sacredness  of  that  sorrow,  which  ha<l  left  the  wretched  woman  uncon,- 
scious  of  her  exposure  in/  the  instant  afterwards  imposed  a  check  upon  ad- 
miration, which  each  felt  to  be  a  violation  of  the  first  principles  of  hmnar 
delicacy,  and  the  feeling  was  repressed  .almost  in  the  moment  that  gave  it 
birth. 

They  were  immediately  in  front  of  the  room  occupied  by  Charles  de  Haldi- 
mar,  in  the  piazza  of  which  were  a  few  old  chairs,  on  which  the  officers  were 
in  the  habit  of  throwing  themselves  during  the  heat  of  the  day.  On  one  of 
these  Cfiptain  Blessington,  assisted  by  the  officer  of  grenadiers,  now  aeatfcd 
the  suffering  and  sobbing  wife  of  Halloway.  His  first  care  was  to  repair  tbc 
disol-doj-  of  her  <lress  ;  and  never  was  the  office  perfom^ed  by  man  witlj 
greater  delicacy,  or  absence  of  levity  by  those  who  witnessed  it.  This  wais 
the  firftt  moanent  of  her  consciousness.  The  inviolability  ofViodesty  for  n 
moment  rose  paramount  even  to  the  desolation  of  her  heart,  and  putting  rude 
ly  aside  the  hand  that  reposed  unavoidably  upon  her  person,  the  poor  womar' 
started  from  her  seat,  and  looked  wildly  about  her,  as  if  endeavoring  to  iden- 
tify those  l)y  whom  she  vvas  surrounded.  But  when  she  observed  th«  pitying 
ga'ie  of  the  officers  fixedjupon  her.  in  earnestness  and  commiseration,  and  heard 
the  bcne\  olent  accents  of  the  ever  kind  Blessington  exhorting  her  to  compo- 
sure, her  veeping  became  more  violent  and  her  sobs  more  convukive.  .  Cap- 
tain Blessington  threw  an  arm  round  her  waist  to  pj-event  her  from  falling 
and  tlien  motiouing  to  two  or  three  <\'omen  of  the  company  to  which  her  hus- 
band was  at'^.ached,  who  stood  at  a  little  distance,  in  front  of  one  of  the  Ijlockr 
houses,  pi't'purcd  to  deliver  her  over  to  their  vjhargc. 

'■  No,  no,  not  yet !"  burst  at  length  from  rhe  agonised  woman,  as  she  shrank 
from  the  rude  but  well-intentioned  touch  of  the  sympathising  assistanw.  who 
had  promptly  answered  the  signal  ;  then,  as  if  obeying  some  new  direotion 
of  her  feelings,  some  new  impulse  of  lier  grief,  she  liberated  lierself  fi'oni  the 
slight  gi-asp  of  Captain  Blessingtou,  turned  sudden'v  round,  and,  before  any- 
one could  anticipate  the  moteineut,  entered  an  opening  on  the  piazza,  raised 
the  latch  of  a  door  situated  at  its  extremity,  and  was,  in  the  next  instant,  ic 
the  apartment  of  the  younger  l)e  Ilaldimar. 

The  .scene  that  met  tho  eyes  of  tbe  olficers,  who  dow  fo!low>'il  clo.se  after  . 
her,  was  one  well  calculated  to  make  an  impiession  on  the  hearts  even  of  tho 
most  in.sensible.  In  the  despainantl  recklessness  of  her  extreme  sorrow,  the 
young  wife  of  llall</Way  had  already  thrown  hi'rself  upon  her  knees  at  tlie 
Dcd  side  of  the  siek  officer;  and,  with  lier  hands  ujiraised  and  firmly  c]aspe<l. 
together,  was  now  supplicating  him  in  tones,  contrasting  singularly  in  their 

ffcntleness  wit);  the  depth  of  ihe  sorrow  that  had  rendeied  her  thiis  regard- 
ess  oC  appcar.inees,  and  insensible  to  ob.servation. 

"Oh,  Mr.  de  Ilaldimar!"  slie  implored,  "in  the  name  of  Hod  and  of  our 
blessed  buviour.  if  you  v/ould  save  me  froju  madness,  intercede  4br  m^  un- 
hapijy  h\isband,  and  preserve  him  from  tho  horrid  Ode  that  awaits  him.  You 
are  t,i;.>  good,  too  gi'ntie,  too  amiable,  to  reject  tlie  prayei-  of  a  Ik  nrt-brokcn 
wo  nan.  Aloreovei-,  Air.  de  Haldimar,"  she  prociiccled,  with  deeper  energy, 
while  she  caught  aad  pressed,  between  her  own  white  and  blooilless  lianas. 
oKo  nearly  as  del'.cato  that  lay  extended  near  her,  "consider  afl  my  dear" but 
u.iforlunnte  hn.band  has  done  for  your  fimily.,  Think  of  tho  blood  he  onco 
toWi  in  the  «!ofenco  of  your  bivther's  life  ;  that  brother,  through  whom  alone, 
'm  God  1  lie  is  now  condemned  to  die.  Call  to  mind  the  days  and  nights  of 
anguish  I  passed  near  his  coUch  of  sufTering,  when  yet  writniug  beneath  th9 


■  iff  ■ 


r 


\'' 


/  • 


1 1 


I"'  ii 

Mi 

It 


'i 


54 


WACOl/STA 


OR,    THK     PROPht.CV 


vii 


l?!:-1 


f;-^ 


wound  aimed  at  the  life  of  Captain  de  Haldimar.   Almighty  Providence !"  she 

mrsued,  iii  the  same  impassioned  yet  plaintive  voice,  "  why  is  not  Miss  Clara 

lere  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  innocent,  and  t6  touch  the  stubborn  K*  art  of 

»er  merciless  father  ?    She  would,  indeed,  move  heaven  and  earth  to  s:ive  the  . 

ife  of  him  to  whom  she  so  often  vowed  eternal  gratitude  and  acknowledgment. 

Ah,  she  little  dreams  of  his  danger  now;  or,  if  prajer  and  intercession  could 

araiL  my  husband  would  yet  live,  and  this  terrible  struggle  at  m}--  heart  would 

be  rib  more." 

Overcome  by  hier  emotion,  the  unfortunate  woman  suffered  her  aching  head 
to  droop  upon  the  edge  of  the  bed,  and  her  sobbing  became  so  painfully  vio- 
lent, that  all  who  heard  her  expected,  at  every  moraeiit,  some  fatal  termina- 
tion to  her  immoderate  grief.  Charles  de  Ilaldimar  was  little  less  aJected  j 
and  his  sorrow  was  the  more  bitter,  as  he  had  just  proved  the  utter  inefficacy  • 
of  anything  in  the  shape  of  appeal  to  his  inflexible  father. 

"Mrs..  Halloway,  my  dear  MVs.  Halloway,  compose  yourself,"  said  Captain 
Blessington,  now  approaching,  and  endeavoring  to  raise  her  geiHly  from  the 
floor,  on  which  she  still  knelt,  while  her  hands  even  more  firnuy  grasped  that 
of  Do  Haldimar.  "  You  are  ill,  very  ill,  and  the  consequence  of  this  dreadful 
excitement  niUy  be  fatal.  Be  advised  by  me,  and  retire.  I  have  desired  my  ' 
room  to  be  prepared  for  you,  and  Sergeant  Wilmot's  wife  shall  remain  with 
yoii  as  long  as  3'ou  may  require  if.  .         •  **~ 

"  No,  no.  no !"  she  again  exclaimed  with  energ)',  "  what  care  I  for  my  own 
•wretched  life — my  beloved  and  unhapp}^  husband  is  to  die.  Oh  God  !  to  die 
-without  guilt — :to  be  cut  off  im  his  youth — to  be  sho't  as  a  traitor — and  that 
simply  for  .obeying  ihe  wishes  of  the  officer  whom  he  loved  ! — 14«^  son  of  the 
man  who  now  spurns  all  supplication  from  his  presence.  It  Ls  inlnmian.  it  is 
unjust — and  lloaven  will  punish  the  hard-lioarted  man  who  munlers  liim — 
yes,  munlers  him !  for  such  a  punishment  for  such  an  offence  is  nothing  less 
than  murder."  Again  she  wept  bitterly,  and  as  Captain  Blessington  still  es- 
sa^'cd  to  soothe  and  raise  her : — "  No.  no !  I  will  not  leave  this  spot,"  site  con- 
tinued'; '"1  will  not  (juit  the  side  of  Mr.  De  Haldimar,  until  he  f)ledges  him-  _ 
self  to  intercedi!  for  ni}'  poor  husband.  It  is  his  duty  to  save  the  life  of  him  ' 
who  saved  his  brother's  life ;  and  God  and  human  justice  are  with  my  appeal. 
Oh.  tell  mo,  then,  Mr.  de  Haldimar, — if  you  would  save  my,  wret<;'hed  heart 
from  breaking, — tell  me  you  will  intercede  for,  and,  obtain  the  pardon  of  my 
husband  I"       ,  ' 

■  As  she  concluded  this  last  sentence  in  passionate  appeal,  she  had  risen  from 
her  knees;  and,  conscious  only  of  the  importance  of  the  boon  solicited,  ndw 
threw  herself  Upon  the  breast  of  the  highly  pained  and  agitated  young  oflicir. 
Her  long  and  beautiful  hair  fell  fioriting  over  his  face,  and  mingled  with  hii 
own,  while  her  arms  were  wildly  clasped  around  him,  in  all  the  energy  cf 
frantic  and  hopeless  adjuration. 

"  Almighty  God  !"  exclaitned  the  agitated  youpg  man,  as  ho  mad?  a  feeble 
and  fruitless  effort  to  raise  the  form  of  Ihe  uiihapijy  woman  ;  "what  shall  I 
say  to  impart  a  comfort  to  this  suffering  bein";?  Oh.  Mrs.  HaJloway,"  ho 
pursued,  •'  I  would  willing!}'  ft,\\i}  all  I  possess  in  this  world  to  be  the  means 
of  saving  your  unforttmate  husband. — and  as  much  for  his  own  sake  as  for 
yours  would  I  do  this ;  but.  alas !  I  hiiv(!  not  the  power.  Do  not  think  .1 
Bpeak  without  conviction.  My  father  has  just  been  with  me,  and  I  have 
pleaded  the  cause  of  your  husband  \vith  an  earnestness  I  should  scarcely  have 
used  had  \i\y  own  life  beeji  at  stake.  But  all  m\'  enticaties  have  been  in  vain.  ' 
lie  is  obstinate  in  Ihe  belief  my  brother's  strange  absence,  and  Donellan's 
death,  are  attributable  only  to  the  treason  of  M.dloway.  Still  there  is  a  hope. 
A  detachment  is  to  leave  the  fort  within  f lie  hour,  and  Halloway  is  to  accom- 
pany them.  It  may  be,  my  fatlx-r  inteuil;<  this  nieasut-e  only  with  a  view  to  • 
terrify  liini  to  a  confession  of  guilt;  and  that  he  deems  it  politic  to  make  Itim 
undergo  all  the  fearful  preliminare.<  without  carrying  the  sentence  i<wlf  into 
•ffect." 


N     ■  • 


•  . 


1  -  .. 

V..'aV-'« 


W.A  C  O  U  8  T  a;   .0  R,     THE     PROPHECY 


w 


The  unfortunate  Woman  said  no  more.    When  she  raised  her  heaving  chest 
Vroni  that  of  thti  young  officer,  her  eyes,  though  red  and  shrunk  to  half  their 
usual  size  with  weeping,  were  tearless  j  but  on  her  countenance  there  was  an    ^ 
expression  of  wild  w'oe,  infinitely  more -distressing  to  behold,  in  consequence"    ' 
ol"  the  aliuost  unnatural  check  so  suddenly  imposed  upon  her  feelings.    She.  . 
tottered,  ratlier  than  walked,  through  the  group  of  officers,  who  gave  way  on  '^ 
either  iiaud  to  let  hci-  pass ;  and  rejecting  all  assistance  from  the  women  who 
hail  followed  into  the  room,  and  who  now,  in  obedience  to  another  signal  from 
Captain  •  lilessington,  hastened  to  her  support,  finally  gained  the  door  and 
<juitte«l  the  apartment.  .  .  ••..''' 


U 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


The  sun  was  high  ia  the  meridian,  as  tlic  second  detachment,  commanded 
by  Colonel  de  llaldin^ar  in  person,  issued  from  the  fort  of  Detroit.  It  was 
that  soft  and  hazy  season,  peculiar  to  the  bland  and  beautiful  autumn  of  Oa-  ■ 
nada,  when  the  golden  light  oflioaven  seems  as  if  transmitted  through  a  veil 
of  tissue,  find  all  oz"  animate  aiid  iiiiiuiniate  nature,  expanding  and  fructify- 
ing l»e)n..ith  its  fost'.:;ing  intin(.'nc\'.  l.rvatlios  the  modt  delicious  languor  an^ 
Toluptuous  repose.  It  was  oin^  ol"  thosft  still,  cahn,  warm,  and  genial  days, 
which  in  thoae  regions  come  umk')'  the  ^  uigai-  designation  of  the  Indian  sum- 
mer ;  a  season  t\vd  is  ever  hailed  by  th'.-  Canadian  with  a  satisfacti«inipropor- 
tioned  to  the  extreme  sultriness  ol'  (.ho  .sniumor.  and  the  equally  oppressive 
rigor  <M  I,  •;  whiter,  by  whit.'li  it  is  inmiijdiatoly  pjeccued  and  followed. 

8uch  IS  that  we  have  just  (lescriV)ed  was  the September,  1763, 

when  l^  portion  (»f  the  English  garrison, of  Detroit  issued  forth  A'om 

the  !brti.ii-,.i,uiis  in  which  they  had  so  long  been  cooped  up,  and  in  the  jTe- 
sunied  ext'cntion  of  a  duty  tmdeniably  tlie  most  trying  ancl  painful  that  ever 
.fell  to  lilt'  lot  Ol  soldier  to  perform.  .The  detachment  wended  its  slow  and 
solemn  coiwso,  witlj  a  mournful  pageantry  of  lirep.M'ation  that  gave  fearfiU 
earne.st  of  the  tiagcdy  expected  to  be  enacted. 

In  fj'out,  and  dragged  by  the  ha\»ds  of  the  gunners,  moVed  two  of  the  three 
three-p(»uuders.  !iiat,liad  been  ordered  for  the  duty.  Behind  these  came  Cap- 
lain  li  i'ssingtoii's  conqiany,  and  in  their  rear,  the  prisoiier  Halloway,  divested 
of  his  uniform,  and  clad  in  a  white  cotton  jacket,  and  a  cap  of  the  same  ma- 
terial. Six  rank  and  tile  of  the  grenadiers  followed,  under  the  connnand  of  a 
I'orporal.  and  behind  these  again,  ca,mc  eight  men  of  the  same  company  ;  four 
of  whom  bore  on  their  shoulders  a  codin.  covered  with  a  eoarso  black  pall 
that  had  perhaps  already  assisted  at  fifty  interments;  while  the  other  fotir 
cari-icd.  in  ad<lition«to  their  own,  th«!  muskets  of  their  burdened  coiuradeil. 
Al'fer  liicscj,  murehed  a  solitary  dnnnn>er-boy  ;  whose  tall  boar-skiiveap  at- 
tested  hiiu  to  be  of  the  grenadiers  also,  wliile  the  nuillied  instrument  marked 
the  i\\iiy  for  wljieh  he  iuul  been  selected.  Like  his  con.rades,  none  of  whom 
('.xhii>-.teil  tlu'ir  .scarlet  unilbrms,  he  wore  the  collar  of  his  great  coat  clo.scly 
buttoned  bentath  his  chin,  which  was  only  partially  vi!ii!>le  above  tiie  stin 
Icallurn  slock  that  t'neirclcd  Ids  neck.  Althougli  liis  features  were  half  bu- 
ried ui  hi;  liugv  cap  and  the  liigli  collar  of  his  coat,  there  was  an  air  of  dcli- 
OM'v  about  his  pitrson  that  seemed' to  reniler  him  unsuit(>d  to  such  an  bfilcei 
and  n»ore  than  once  was  Captain  livskine,  who  followed  immediately  )>ehina 
him  lit  the  head  o'i  his  company,  compelled  to  en  11  sliaiply  to  the  urchiiL 
threiitciuiig  him  vvuh  a  week's  drill  un'ess  he  mended  his  R'i;l)!o  and  unequfti 
pare  anil  kept  from  under  the  feet  of  his  nuMi.  Th.e  remaining  gun  brought 
up  tin'  rt'ar  t»r  I  IK!  (U'laebnicnl.  who  maniicil  with  lixed  bayonets  and  two 
balls  in  each  musket;  tiie  whole  presenting  a  front  of  sections,  thnt  completely 
Hlled  up  the  roa(b  along  which  they  passed.  Colonel  dc  HaldnuHr,  Captain 
VVentvvorth.  and  tl"-   Viijuiaht.l,aw'si.n  fiillowed  in  the  extiemc  rear. 


., ''  '""(.ill 


.  -I, 

■■■vi- 


1* 


m 


*    M 


n 


<i  ,i 


'ii, 


% 


n 

'^1 


66 


WACOrsTA', 


OR,     THE     PROPHECY.    -» 


j€ 


*    f 


\  ' 


An  event  po  singular  as  that  of  the  appearance  of  the  English  without  then 
fort,  beset  as  they  were  by  a  host  of  fierce  and  dangerous  enemies,  was  not 
likely  to  pass  unnoticed  by  a  single  individual  in  the  little  village  of  Detroit. 
We  have  already  observed,  that  most  of  the  colonist  settlers  had  been  cruelly 
niassacred  at  the  very  onset  of  hostilities.  Not  so,  however,  with  the  Cana- 
dians, who.  from  their  anterior  relations  with  the  natives,  ai>;l  the  mutual  and 
tacit  good  understanding  that  subsisted  between  both  parties,  Avcre  suffered 
to  continue  in  quiet  and  unmolested  possession  of  thoiv  liomcs.  where  they  pre- 
sei-ved  an  avowed  neutrality,  never  otherwise  infringed  than  by  tlie  assistance 
secretly  and  occasionally  rendered  to  the  English  troops,  whose  gold  they 
were  glad  to  receive  in  exchange  for  the  necessaries  of  life. 

Every  dwelling  of  the  uifant  town  had  commenced  giving  up  its  tenants, 
firom  the  moment  when  the  head  of  the  detachment  was  seen  traversing  tKe 
drawbridge  ;  so  that,  by  the  time  it  reached  the  highway,  and  took  its  direc- 
tion to  the  left,  the  whole  population  of  Detroit  were  already  assembled  in 
groups,  and  giving  expression  to  the  j;heir  several  conjectures,  with  a  vivacity 
of  language  and  energ}'  of  gesticuhition  that  would  not  have  disgraced  the 
parent  land  itself  As  the  troops  drew  nearer,  however,  they  all  sank  at  once 
into  a  silence,  as  yauch  the  result  of  certain  unacknowledged  and  imdefined 
fears,  as  of  the  respect  the  English  had  ever  been  accustomed  to  exact. 
^  ■  At  the  further  extremity  of  the  town,  and  at  a  bend  in  the  road,  which 
branched  off  more  immediately  towards  the  river,  stood  a  public  house,  whose 
creaking  ^n  bore  three  ill  executed  fleur-de-lis,  apologetic  emblelhis  of  the 
arms  of  France.  The  building  itself  was  little  more  than  a  rude  log  hut, 
along  the  front  of  which  ran  a  plank,  supported  by  two  stumps  of  trees,  and 
serving  as  a  tj'mporary  accommodation  both  for  the  traveller  and  the  inmate. 
I  On  this  Ironfh  three  persons,  apparently  attracted  by  the  beauty  of  the  day 
and  the  mildness  of  tlie  autumnal  sun,  were  now  seated,  two  of  whom  were 
leisurely  puffing  their  pipes,  while  the  third,  a  female,  was  employed  in  card- 
ing wool,  a  quantity  of  which  lay  in  a  basket  at  her  feet,  while  she  warbled, 
in  a  low  tone,  one  of  the  simple  airs  of  her.  native  land.  The  elder  of  the  two 
men,  whose  age  might  be  about  fifty,  offered '  nothing  remarkable  in  Jiis  ap- 
)earance  ;  lie  was  dressed  in  a  coat  made  of  Hie  common  white  blanket,  while 
►  his  hair,  cut  square  upon  the  foirhead.  and  tied  into  a  club  of  nearly  a  foot 
ong,  fell  into  the  cape  or  hood  attached  to  it. 

His  companion  was  habited  in  still  a  more  extraordinary  manner.  His  lower 
limbs  were  ca.scil,  up  to  tlie  mid-thigh,  in  leathern  leggings,  the  scam  of  which 
wa.s  on  the  oulsido,  leaving  a  niar,L'.in,  or  bowler,  of  about  an  inch  wide,  which 
had  been  slit  into  iununieratle  small  fringes,  giving  them  an  air  of  elegance 
and  lightness:  a  garter  of  leather,  eurioiisly  wrought,  with  the  stained  quills 
of  the  porcupine,  encircled  each  leg.  immedintely  umler  the  knee,  where  it 
wat^  tied  in  a  liow,  and  then  sullered  to  hang  pendant  hiflf  way  down  the 
iimu  5  to  the  iViugeH  of  tlie  leggings,  moreover,  were  attached  numerously 
dark-colored  horny  substances,  emitting,  as  tliey  rattled  ajiainst  each  other,  at 
the  slightest  uiovemeiit  of  the  wearer,  a  tinkling  .sound,  resembling  that  pro- 
duced by  a  nunilier  of  small  thin  delicate  brass  bells;  tlu'su  wire  the  tender 
ho ^fs  of  the  wild  deer,  driud,^scraped.  ami  otherwise  prepareil  for  this  orna- 
mental purpose. 

The  form  and  face  of  this  individual  were  in  perfect  keeping  with  the  style 
of  his  costume,  and  the  character  ol"  his  equipment.  His  stature  was  beyond 
that  of  the  ordinary  race  of  men,  and  his  athletic  and  muscular  liinbH  united 
the  extremes  of  strenglh  and  activity.  His  feat;ires,  marked  and  prominent, 
wore  a  cast  of  habitual  thought,  strangely  tinctured  with  ferocity  ;  and  the 
•xpression  of  his  othehvise  not  unhandsome  eoimtenunCe  uas  repellant  and 
disdainful.  At  the  first  glance  he  might  have  been  taken  for  ont;  of  the  swar- 
thy natives  of  Iho  .soil  ;  but  though  time  and  constant  exposure  to  scoii-hinj; 
suns  had  given  to  iiis  eoinplc-\ion  a  dii^ky  hue,  st^ill  there  was  wanting  the 
quick, 'T)lack.   pcnwlrflliiur  eye;  the  high  cheek  bone;  the  straigh^  ooa'se^ 


)« 


;i 


r  >-  -N" 


> 


wacousta;    or,   the    prophecy 


fil^Vi  >'- 


shining  black  hair  ;  the  small  bony  hand  and  foot ;  and  the  placidly  proud 
and  serious  air,'  by  which  the  former  is  distinguished.  His  own  eye  was  of  a 
deep  bluish  grey  ;  his  hair  short,  dark  and  wavy ;  his  hands  large  and  muscu*  ■ 
lar ;  and  so  for  from  exhiljiting  any  of  the  setf-command  of  the  Indian,  the 
conKtant  play  of  his  features  betrayed  each  passing  thought  with  the  same 
rapiility  with  which  it  was  conceived.  But  if  any  doubt  could  have  existed 
in  the  miud  of  him  who  beheld  this  strangely  accoutrfJd  figure,  it  would  have 
been  instantly  dispelled  by  a  glance  at  his  limbs.  From  his  leggings  .j  the 
hip,  t'.iat  portion  of  the  lower  hmb  was  completely  bare,  and  disclosed,  at 
each  niovetneiit  of  the  garment  that  was  suffered  to  fall  loosely  over  it,  not 
the  swarthy  Sid  copper-colored  Hesh  of  the  Indian,  but  the  pale  though  sun- 
burnt skin  of  one  of  a  more  temperate  clime.  His  age  might  be  about  forty- 
five..  "  .    '  J 

At  the  moment  when  the  English  detachment  approached  the  bend  in  the 
road,  these  two  individuals  were  conversing  earnestly  together,  pauatng  only 
to  putf  at  intervals  thick  and,  wreathing  volumes  of  smoke  from  their  pipes^ 
which  were  filled  with  a  mixture  of  tobacco  and  odoriferous  herbs.  Pres- 
ently, however,  sounds  that  appeared  familiar  to  his  ear  arrested  the  attention 
of  the  wildly  accouti-ed  being  we  have  last  described.  It  was  the  heavy  roll 
of  the  artillery  carriages  already  advancing  along  the  road,  and  somewhat  in 
the  rear  of  the  hut.  To  dash  his  pipe  to  the  ground,  seize  and  cock  and  raise 
his,  iroe  £o  his  shoulder,  was  but  the  work  of  a  moment.  Startled  by  the 
suddenness  of  the  action,  his  male  companion  moved  a  few  paces  als«Pfrom 
his  seat  to  discover  the  cause  of  this  singular  movement.  The  female,  on  the 
contrary,  stirred  not.  but  ceasing  for  a  moment  the  occupation  in  which  sh'3 
had  been  engaged,  fixed  her  dark  and  brilliant  eyes  upon  the  tall  form  of  the 
rifleman,  whose  athletic  limbs,  thrown  into  powerful  relief  by  the  distention 
6f  each  nerve  and  muscle,  appeared  to  engross  her  whole  admiration  ancK  in- 
terest, without  any  reference  to  the  cause  that  had  produced  this  abrupt  and 
-hostile  ciitmge  in  his  movements.  It  was  evident  that,  unlike  the  other  in- 
habitants of  the  town,  this  group  had  been  taken  by  surprise,  and  were 
utterly  unprepared  to  expect  anything  in  the  shape  of  interruption. 

For  upwards  of  a  minute,  during  which  the  mar^jh  of  the  men  becarne  au- 
dible even  to  the  ears  of  the  U-male,  the  formidable  warrior,  for  such  his  garb 
denoted  him  to  be,  continued  motionless  in  the  attitude  he  had  at  flrft  assum- 
ed. No  sooner,  however,  had  the  head  of  the  advancing  column  corne  within 
sight,  than  the  aim  was  taken,  the  trigger  pulled,  and  the  small  aad  ragged 
bullet  sped  hissing  from  the  grooved  and  delicate  baircl.  A  triuMiyhant  cry 
was  next  pealed  from  the  lips  of  the  .warrior, — ^g  cry  produced  by  the  quickly 
rcpeatt'd  application  and  removal  of  one  hand  to  and  from  the  mouth,  while 
the  othi'r  suHered  the  butt-end  of  the  now  harmless  weapon  to  fall  loosely- 
upon  the  earth.  He  then  slovvlv  and  deliberately  withdrew  '^rithin  the  cover 
of  the  hut.  ^  , 

This  daring  action,  which  h.nd  been  vie.Wed  by  the  leading  troops  with  as- 
tonislunent  not  uniningled  wi'h  alarm,  occasioned  a  temp  )rary  confusion  in 
the  ranks,  lor  all  iM-lirved  th'v  had  fallen  into  an  anibusrade  of  the  Indians. 
A  halt  was  instantly  conin.an'led  Itv  Captain  Ulessing'.on,  in  order  to  give" 
tinu'  to  the  ';()vorn(tF^)  coi'ie  up  from  the  rear,  while  ho  proceeded  with  one 
of  the  k'adin;i  swlion-;  to  '.eeonnoitre  Uk'  front  of  the  luit.  To  his  surprise, 
however,  ho  fou'vl  ncithf,'  i-ncmy.  nor  ovidcnn'  that  nn  enemy  had  been  there. 
The  only  individui.ls  visible  wi'iii  the  tJauadian,  a.id  the  dark-eyed  female, 
lioth  wen'  seated  on  II;o  benrh  ; — the  one  «kl».okin;r  his  pipe  with  a  wella.ssum- 
ed  appearance  of  nr,c(»nc<'rn — the  <»ther  rarding  nor  wool,  but  with  a  hand 
that  by  a  close  obsciverlnijAht  he  st'en  to  tremMe  in  its  office,  and  a  cheek 
thai  vt'as  paler  than  at  the  moment  wh(!n  we  lirst  placed  her  before  the  ima^ 
.ination  of  the  reader,  lioth,  however,  started  with  unaflectAl  surprise  On 
seeing  (*aptain  Hl»'ssin<;)on  and  Iris  little  force  turn  the  corner  of  the  house 


m 

I       ■'*■». 

,     ■"!:  ■• 


f 


Ui 


I:''    <l 

I: 

I 


»     J 


68 


waoousta;    or,   the    prophecy 


If  in 


i 


l^om  the  main  road ;  and  certain  looks  of  recognition  passed  between  all  par- 
ties, that  proved  them  to  be  no  strangers  to  each  other. 

"  Ah,  monsieur,"  said  the  Canadian,  in  a  mingled  dialect,  neither  Blench 
nor  English,  while  he  attempted  an  ease  and  freedom  of  manner' that  was  too 
miscrablj'  affected  to  pass  ciwrent  with  the  mild  but  observant  officer  Vhom 
ne  addressed,  "  how  much  surprise  I  am,  And  glad  to .  see  you.  It>  is  a  long 
times  since  you  came  out  of  de  fort.  I  hope  de  governeiu*  and  de  officer  be 
all  very  well.  I  was  tinking  to  go  to-day  to  see  if  you  want  any  ting.  I 
iiavo  got  some  nice  rum  of  the  Jamaique  for  Oapitaine  Erskine.  Will  you 
()le?Be  to  try  sOme  ?"  While  speakipg,  the  voluble  host  of  the  'Fleur  de  Lis 
had  risen  from  his  seat,  laid  aside  his  pipe,  and  now  stood  with  his  hands 
thrust  into  the  pockets  of  his  blanket  coat.  .    ^      •<  i| 

*  It  fs  indeed  a  long  time  since  we  have  been  herej  Master  Frai]P>is,"  some- 
what^arcastically  and  drily  replied  Captain  Blessington  ;  "  and  you  have  not 
visited  us  quite  so  often  latterly  yourself,  though  well  aware  we  were  in  want 
of  fresh  provisions.  I  give  3'ou  all  due  credit,  however,  for  your  intention  of 
coming  to-day,  but  you  see  we  have  anticipated  you.  Still  this  is  not  tho 
point.  Where  is  the  Indian  who  fired  at  us  just  jjow  ?  and  how  is  it  we  find 
you  leagued  with  our  enemies  ?" 

"  What,  sir,  is  it  you  sa^^ '?"  asked  the  Canadian,  holding  up  his  hands  with 
feigned  astonishment.  "  Me  league  myself  with  the  savage.  Upon  my  honor 
X  did  not  see  nobody  fire,  or  I  should*  tell  you.  I  love  the  English  too  well 
to  do  dem  harms."  , 

"  Come,  c(*me,  Francois,  no  nonsense.  •  If  I  cannot  make^u  confess',  there 
is  one  ibt  far  from  me  who  will.  You  know  Colonel  de  IlMdimar  too  well 
to  imagine  he  will  be  trifled  with  in  this  manner :  if  he  detects  you  in  a  false- 
hood, he  will  certainly  causeyou  to  be  hanged  up  at  the  first  ti-ce.  Take  my 
advice,  therefore,  and  say  where  you  have  secreted  this  Indian  ;  and  recollect, 
if  we  fall  into  an  ambuscade,  your  life  will  be  forfeited  at  the  first  shot  we 
heai-  fired." 
•  At  this  moment  the  governor,  followed  by  his  adjutant,  came  rapidly  up  to 
the  spot.  Captain  Blessington  communicated  the  ill  success  of  his  queries, 
when  the  former  cast  on  the  terrified  Canadian  one  of  those  severe  and  search- 
ing looks  which  he  so  well  knew  how  to  assume. 

"  Where  is  the  rascal  who  fired  at  us,  sirrah  ?  tell  me  instantly,  or  you 
have  not  five  minutes  to  live." 

■  The  heart  of  mine  host  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis  quailed  within  him  at  this  for- 
midable threat;  and  the  usually  ruddy  hue  of  his  countenance  had  now  given 
place  to  an  ashy  paleness.  Still  as  he  positively  denied  all  knowledge  of  tho 
matter  on  which  he  was  questioned,  ho  appeared  to  feel  his  safety  lay  in  ad- 
hering to  his  original  statement.  Agahi,  therefore,  he  assured  the  governor, 
on  his  lienor  (laying  his  hand  upon  his  heart  as  he  spoke.)  that  what  he  had 
already  staled  was  tho  fact.  j 

••  Ycnr  honor — you.  pitiful  trading  scoundrel — how  dare  you  talk  to  me  of 
your  honor  ?    .Come,  sir,  confess  at  once  where  you  have  secreted  this  felloe  " 
or  prepare  to  die." 

'"If  I  may  he  so  bold,  your  honor,"  said  one  of  Captain  Blessiiigton's-jnen, 
''  tho  Frenchiium  lies.  \Vhon  the  Tngian  fired  among  us,  this  fellow  wa.s 
peeping  under  iiis  shoulder  and  watching  us  also.  If  I  liad  not  vsecn  him  too 
often  at  the  fort  to  be  mistaken  in  his  person,  I  should  have  known'  him,  at 
all  events,  by  his  blanket  coat  and  red  handkerchief." 

This  blunt  statement  of  the  soldier.  eonliniKvl  r.s  it  was  the  instant  after- 
wards by  one  of  his  comrades,  was  dainning  proof  against  the  Canadian, 
eren  if  tlve  fact  of  the  rifle  being  ^Usclfarged  liom  tho  i'ronjt  of  the  hut  hau 
not  already  satisfied  all  parties  of  the  falsehood  of  his  assertion.  » 

"  Come  forward,  a  couple  of  files,  and  seize  this  villuiii,"  resumed  tho  gov* 
ernor  with  liia  wonted  st«rnne.'<8  of  manner.     ''Air.  Lawsou,  see  if  his  hut 


1  4'; 


wacousta;  or.the  prophecy. 


own 


does  not  afford  a  rope  strong  enough  to  hang  the  truitor  to  one  of  his 
apple  trees." 

Both  parties  proceeded  at  4he  same  moment  to  exe(;ute  the  two  distinct  or- 
ders of  their  cliief.  The  Canadian  was  now  tirmly  secured  in  the  grasp  of 
the  two  men  who  had  given  evidence  agai)ist  hiih,  when,  seeing  all  the  horror 
of  the  dreadful  fate  that  a^V^aited  him.  he  confessed  the  individual  who  had 
fired  had  been  sitting  with  him  the  instant  preyiouslj'^,  but  that  he  knew  no 
more  of  him  than  of  any  other  savage  occasionally  calling  at  the  Flour  do  Lis. 
He  added,  that  on  discharging  the  rifle  he  had  bounded  across  the  palings  of 
the  orchanl,  and  fled  in  the  du*ection  of  the  lb:  est.  He  denied  all  knowledge 
or  belief  of  an  enemy  waiting  in  ainbush ;  stating,  moreover,  even  tlie  indi- 
vidual in  quei^on  had  not  been  aware  of  tlyj  sortie  of  thfe  detachment  untL 
apprised  of«  tffllr  near  approach  by-  the  heavy,  sound  of  the  gun  carriages. 

'•  Here  are  lAdeniable  proofs  of  the  man's  villany.  sir,"  said  the  adjutant, 
returning  from  the  hut  aad  exhibiting  objects  of  new  and  fearful  interest  to 
the  governor.  "This  hat  and  rope  ^  found  secreted  in  one*f  the  bed-rooms 
of  the  auberge.  The  first  is  evidently  Donellan's ;  and  ;<  ' .  the  hook  tit- 
taohed  to  thp  latter,  I  apprehend  it  to  be  the  same  stated  to  have  been  used 
by  Captain  de  Haldimar,in  crossing  the  ditch." 

'riie  governor  took  the  hat  and  rope  from  tiie  hands'of  his  subordinate,  ex- 
auiined  them  attentively,  aud  after  a  few  yioments  of  deep  musing,  during 
which  his  countenance  underwent  several  rapid  though  scarcely  perceptible 
changes,  turned  suddenly  au<l  eagerly  to  the  soldier  who  had  first  convicted 
the  Canadian  yi  his  falsehood,  and  demanded  if  he  had  seen  enough  of  the 
man  who  had  fired  to  be  able  so  give  even  a  general  description  of  his  pereon. 

'•  Why  yes,  j^our  honor.  I  think  I  gan  ;  for  the  fellow  stood  long  enough 
after  tiring  his  piece,  for  a  painter  to  have  taken  him  ofl'  from  head  to  foot. 
He  was  a  taller  and  larger  man  by  fur  than  our  biggest  grenadier,  and  that  is 
poor  Harry  Donellan.  as  your  bono)-  knowjj.  But  as  for  his  dress,  though  I 
could  see  it  all,  I  scarcely  can  tell  how  to  desci'ibe  it.  All  I  know  is.  he  was 
covered  with  smoked  deer  skin,  in  some  such  fashion  as  the  great  chief  Pon- 
teac.  only,  instead  of  luiving  his  head  bare  anil  shaved,  he  wore  a  strange  out- 
landisli  sort  of  a  hat.  covecfd  over  with  wild  birds'  feathers  in  front." 

*'  Enough,"  interriipted  the  governor,  motioning  the  man  to  silence ;  then, 
man  under  tone  to  himself, — "  by  heaven,  the  very  same."  A  shade  of  dis- 
appointiiient  and  .suppres.sed  alarm  passed  rapidly  acioss  his  brow;  it  was' 
but  momentary.  ''  Captain  Blessington,"  he  ordered  quickly  and  impatiently, 
"  search  the  hut  apd  grotmds  for  this  lurking  Indian,  who  is,  no  doubt,  se- 
creted in  the  neighborhood.  Quick,  (|uick,  sir  ;  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost." 
Then  intui  intimiclating.tone  to  the  Canadian,  who  hack  already  dropped  on 
his  knees,  supplicating  mercy,  and  vociferating  his  innocence  in  *the  samo 
breath.—"  So,  you  infernal  scoundrel,  this  is  the  mar.ner  in  which  you  have 
repaid  O'.n*  confidence.  Whwre  is  my  son.  sir  ?  Or  have  you  already  mur- 
dered him.  as  you  did  his  servant?  Tell  nie.  you  villain,  what  have  you  to 
.say  to  these  proofs  of  youi'  treacheiy  ?  But  stay.  I  shall  take  another  and 
fitt«»r  opportunity  to  i^iestion  you.  Mr.  Ijawson.  secui'c  this  traitor  pro{)erly, 
and  let  him  be  conveyed  to  the  centre  of  the  detachment." 

This  mandate  was  piompLly  obeyed  ;  and  in  despite  of  his  own  unceasing 
pravers  and  protestations  of  innocence,  and  .the  tears  and  entreaties  of  his 
dark- eyed  daughter  liabette.  n^io  had  thrown  herself  on  her  knees  at  his 
Bide,  the  stout  arms  of  mine  host  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis  were  soon  firmly  se- 
cured behind  his  back  with  the  strong  rope  that  had  been  found  under  such 
suspicious  circumstances  in  his  possession.  Before  he  was  marched  off,  how- 
ever, two  of  the  men  who  had  been  sent  in  pursuit,  returned  from  the  orchard, 
stating  that  further  search  was  now  fruitless.  They  had  penetrated  throunji 
a  small  thicket  at  the  extremity  of  the  grounds,  md  had  distinctly  seen  a  maa 
answering  llie  kj.scriptiog  given  by  their  comrad  !S,  in  full  fiight  towanls  the 
foiBst  skirting  the  heights  in  front.  •  , 


#. 


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v.\ 


V 


'H  II 


M,l 


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rj 


,;o" 


1. 1^ 


CO  Wii'OOSrA,      0»,'THEItOPHECT.. 

The  governor  \vas  evidently  far  from  l>eing  satisfied  with  the  result  of  » 
search  too  late  instituted  to  foave  even  a  prospectfof  success.  "  Where  in 
the  Indians  i)rincipally  encamped,  sirrah  ?"  he  sternly  demanded[  of  his  cap- 
tive ;  "  answer  Tne  trul5\  or  I  will  carry  off  thfs  wench  as  well,  and  if  a  slngli 
hair  of  a  man  of  mine  be  even  singed  by  a  shot  from  a  skulking  enemy,  yoi 
may  expect  to  feee  her  bayoneted  before  your  eyes." 

"Ah,  my  God  !  Mon.siein-  le  Gonverneur,"  exclaimed  the  affrighted' auber- 
giste,  "as  I  am  an  honest  -man,  I  shall  tell  de  truth,  but  spare  my  child. 
•  They  are  all  in  de  forest,  and  half  a  mile  from  de  little  river  dat  runs  between 
dis  and  the  Pork  Island." 

"  Hog  Island,  I  suppose  you  mean." 

"  Yes  sir,  de  Hog.  Island  is  de  one  I  means.'.' 

"  Conduct  him  to  the  centre,  and  let  him  be  confronted  with  #16  prisoner,'* 
directed  the  goveuM",  addressing  his  adjutant;  "Captain  Blessington,  your 
men  may  resume  raeir  stations  in-' the  ranks.  The  order  was  obeyea;  and 
notwithstanding  the  tears  and  supplications  of  the  now  highly  excited  Babette, 
who  flung  herself  upon  his  neck,  and  was  only  removed  by  foroe,  the  terrified 
Canadian  was  borne  off  from  his  premises  by  the  troopg. 


•<"■>' 


V 


i!'--','t- 


-^'i 


i; 
i. 


....J4-.> 


CHAPTER  IX. 


.  While  this  scene  was  enacting  in  front  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis,  one  of  a  far 
more  touching  and  painful  nature  was  passing  in  the  very  heart  of  the  detach- 
ment itself  At  the  moment  when  the  halt  was  ordered  by  Captain  Blessing- 
ton,  a  rumor  ran  through  the  ranks  that  they  had  reached  the  spot  destined 
for  the  exeeution  of  their  ill-fated  comrade.  Those  only  in  the  immediate 
front  were  aware  of  the  true  cause ;  but  although  the  report  of  the  rifle  had 
been  distinctly  heard  "by  all,  it  haXl  been  attributed  by  those  in  the  rear  to  the 
accidental  discharge  of  one  of  their  own  muskets.  -A  Ipw  murmur,  expressive 
of  the  opinion  generally  entertained,  passed  gradually  from  rear  to  front,  until 
it  at  length  reached  the  ears  of  the  delicate  drummer  boy  who  marched,  be- 
hind the  coflBn.  His  facie  was  still  buried  in  the  collar  of  his  coat ;  And  what 
was  left  uncovered  of  his  features  by  the.  cap,  was  in  some  degree  niddcn  by 
the  forward  drooping  of  his  head  upon  his  chest.  Hitherto  h©  had  moved  al- 
most .^mechanically  along,  tottering  and  embarrassing  himself  at  every  step 
under  the  cumbrous  d#bm  that  was  suspended  from  a  belt  around  his  neck 
over  the  left  thigh ;  but  now  there  was  a  certain  indescribable  drawing,  up  of 
the  frame,  and  tension  of  the  whole  person,  denoting  a  concentration  of  all  the 
moral  and  physical  energies  — a  sudden  working  up,  as  it  were,  of  the  intel- 
.  lectual  and  corporeal  being  to  sotie  detei;mined  and  montentous  purpose. 

At  the  first  halt  of  the  detachraont,,tlie  \7eary  supporters  of  the  coflin  had 
deposited  their  rude  and  sombre  burden  upon  the  eart^^  preparatory  to  its 
being  resumed  by  those  appointed  to  relieve  them.  The  ilull  sound  emitted 
by  the  hollow  fabric,  as  it  touched  the  gnniud,  caught  the  cur  of  him  for  whom 
it  was  destined,  and  he  turned  to  gaze  upon  the  sad  and  lonely  tenement  so 
shortly  to  become  his  final  resting  place.  There  Was  an  air  of  calm  composure 
and  dignified  sorrow  upon  his  brow,  that  infused  respect  ihto  the  hearts  of  all 
who  beheld  him;  and  even  the  men  selected  to.  do  the ''duty  of  executionei-^ 
sought  to  evade  his  glance,  as  his  steady  eye  wandered  from  right  to  left  of 
the  fatal  rank.  His  attention,  however,  was  principally  directed  towards  tho 
coffin,  which  lay  before  him ;  on  this  he  gazed  fixedly  foy  upwards  of  a  minute. 
He  then  turned  his  eyes  in  the  direction  of  the  fort,  shuddered,  heaved  a  pro- 
found sigh,  and  looking  up  to  heaven,  with  the  apparent  fervor  that  became 
his  situation,  seemer^  to  pray  for  a  moment  or  two  inwardly  and  devoutly. 
The  thick  and  almost  suffocating  breathing  of  one  immediately  beyond  tho 


of  » 

ixt 

cap- 

ingli 

yo» 


WACOUSTA;   (IR,  THE   PROPHECY. 


61 


coffin,  was  now  distinctly  heard  hy  all.  Halloway  started  from  his  attitude 
of  devotion,  gazed  earnestly  on  the  form  when«e  it  proceeded,  and  then  wildly 
extending  his  Arms,  sulforcd  a  smile  of  satisfaction  to  illumine  his  pale  features 
All  eyes  were  now  turned  upon  the  drummer  ■  boy,  wh^,  evidently  laboring 
under  convulsive  excitement  of  feeling,  suddenly  dashed  his  cap  and  instrument 
to  the  earth,  and  flew  as  fiist  as  his  tottering  and  uncertain  steps  would  admit 
across  the  coffin,  and  into  the  aVms  extended  to  receive  him. 

"  My  Ellen !  oh.  my  oA'n  devoted,  but  too  unha{)py  Ellen !"  passionately 
exclaimed  the  soldier,  as  he  clasjied  IJhe  slight  and  agitated  form  of  his  dis- 
guiscJd  wife  to  his  throbbing  heart.  "  This,  this,  indeed,  is  joy  even  in  deatV-. 
I  thought  I  could  have  died  more  happily  without  you.  but  nature  tugs  power- 
fully at  ray  heart ;  and  to  see  you  once  more,  to  feel  you  once  more  A^re." 
(and  he  pressed  her  wildly  to  his  chesty)  "  is  indeed  a  bliss  that  robs  my  ap- 
proaching fate  of  half  its  terror." 

"Oh  Reginald!   my  dearly  beloved  Reginald!  my  murdered   husband!" 
shrieked  the  unhappy  woman;  "your  Ellen  will  not  survive  yOu.    Her  heart 
is  already  broken,  tliough  she  cannot  weep :  but  the  same  grave  shall  contain 
us  both.   Reyinalfi,  do  yoti  believe  me  ?  I  swejir  il ;  the  same  grave  shall  con- 
tain us  both." 
.,(|. Exhausted  with  the  fatigue  and  excitement  she  had  undergone,  the  faithfu 
'  and  affectionate  creature  no.v  lay,  without  sense  or  motion,  in  the  arms  of  hoi 
"wretched  husband.   Ilallowa}^  bore  her,  unopposed,  a  pace  or  two  in  advance, 
and  deposited  her  unconscious  form  on  the  fatal  coffin.  ^' 

No  language  of  ours  can  render  justice 'to  the  trying  character  of  the  Scene 
All  who  witnessed  it  w^ere  painfully  affected,  and  oyer  the  bronzinl  cheek  of 
many  a  vfeteran  coursed  S,  tear,  which,  like  that  of  Sterne's  recording  angel 
might  have  blotted  out  a  catalogue  Of  sins.  Although  each  was  i)repai"ed  to 
expect  a  reprimand  from  the  goVernor,  for  suffering  the  prisoner  to  quit  hk 
station  in  the  ninks,.  humanit}'  and  nature  pleaded  too  powerfully  in  iiis  be- 
half, and  neither  officer  nor  man  attempted  to  intcrfei-e.  unless  with  a  view  to 
fender  assistance.  Captain  Erskine,  in  particular,  was  deeply  paiiiod.  and 
would  have  given  anything  to  rocal  the  harsh  language  he  had  use<l  towards 
the  supposed  idle  and  inattentive  drummer  boy.  'h-king  fi-om  a  pocket  in  hi!« 
uniform  a  small  flask  oC  brandy,  which  he  had  provided  ap.ainst  cjisualties.  the 
compassionating  officer  slightly  raised  t'le  head  of  the  pale  and  luiconscions 
woman  with  one  hand,  while  with  the  other  he  introducetl  a  few  drops  between 
her  parted  lips'.  Hallo  way  knelt  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  coffin ;  one  hand 
searching,  but  in  vain,  the  suspended  pulse  of  his  inanimate  wife;  the  Other 
unbuttoning  the  breast  of  the  drum.-boy's  jacket,  wmch.  with  evei-y  other  part 
of  the  equipment,  she  wore  beneath  thw  loose  groat  coat  so  effes'tually  accom- 
plishing her  disguise. 

Such  was  the  position  pf  the  chief  actors  in  this  truly  distressing  ar.ima. 
at  the  moment  when  Colonel- <le  Haldiiharrame  up  with  his  new  ])risoiu'r.  Ui 
mark  what  effect  would  be  produced  oii  Halloway  by  his  unexpecto<i  ai)pear-  " 
snce.  His  own  surprise  and  disappointment  may  be  easily  conceived.  v\-l ion.- 
in  the  form  of  the  recumbent  being  who  seemed  to  engJH)ss  universal  titteu- 
tion,  he  recognised,  by  the  fair  and  streaming  hair,  and  half  exposed  bo  oiu. 
the  unfortunate  being  whom,  only  two  hours  previously,  he  had  spurned  from 
hjs  f'ct  in  the  costume  of  ner  own  sex,  and  reduced,  by  the  .iiolence  of  her 
grief  t)  almost  infanthie  debility.  Question  succeeded  question  to  those 
arourtd,  but  without  eliciting  any  clue  to  the  means  by  which  thiajnysterious 
disguise  had  bjBen  effed-ed.  No  one  had  been  aware,  until  the  truth  was  so 
singularly  and  suddenly  revealed,  the  supposed  drummer  was  any  other  than 
one  of  the  lads  attached  to  tJie, grenadiers  ;  and  as  for  the  other  .facts,  they 
spoke  too  plainly  t»  the  comprehension  of  the  governor  to  need  explanation. 
Once  more,  however,  the  di'tacUmfut  was  called  to  order,  llallow^y  s(;ruck. 
his  hand  violently  uj)on  his  brow,  kis.sod  the  wnn  lips  of  his  still  unconscious 
wife:  breathing,  as  he  didso,  a  half  murmured  ;h<ipe  she  might  indeed  be  the 


ll^ 


•  U- 


i*. 
iii' 


■\\\ 


62 


W  A  C%  U  S  T  A  ; 


O  R 


■■,>l 


if  H 


r  1 


Ih 


THE 

« 


P  B  O  P  H  EC  V 


corpse  she  appeared.  He  then  raisiid  hifnself  from  the  OArtU  vrith  a  light  and 
elastic  yet  firm  movemeut,  And  resiimod  tlie  place  he  had  pi-eviously  occupied, 
where,  to  his  surprise,  he  beheld  a  second  victim  bound,  and,  apparv'^ntly,  de- 
voted to  the  same  death.  When  the  eyes  of  the  two  lyihappy  men  met,  the 
governor  closely  watched  the  expression  of  the  countenance  of  each;  but 
although  the  Canadian  started  on  beholding  the  soldier,  it  might  lie  merely 
because  he  saw  the  latter  arrayed  in  the  garb  of  death,  and  followed  by  the 
most  unequivocal  demonstratidns  of  a  doom  to  which  he  himself  wa?,  in  ail 
probability,  devoted.  As  for  Halloway,  his  look  betrayed  neither  conscious- 
ness nor  recognition ;  and  though  too  proud  to  exjiress  complaint  or  to  give 
vent  to  the  feelings  of  his  heart,  his  whole  soul  seemed  to  be  absorbed  in  the 
unhappy  partner  of  his  luckless  destiny.  Presently  he  saw  her  borne,  and 
in,  the  same  state  of  insensibility,  in  the  arms  of  Captain  Erskine  and  Lieu-' 
tenant  Leslie,  towards  the  hut  of  his  fellow  prisoner,  and  he  hear*  the  former 
officer  enjoin  the  weeping  girl,  Babette,  to  whose  charge  they  dehvered  her 
over,  to  pay  every  attention  to  her  her  situation  might  require.  The  detach- 
ment then  proceeded. 

The  narrow  but  deep  and  rapid  river  ailiided  to  by  the  Canadian,  as_  run- 
ning midway  between  the  town  and  Hog  Island,  derived  its  source  far  within 
the  forest,  and  formed  the  bed  of  one  of  those  wild,  dark,  and  thickly  wood^ 
ravines  so  common  in  America.  As  it  neared  the  Detroit,  however,  the  ab- 
ruptft^s  of  its  banks  was  so  confijderably  lessened,  as  to  render  the  approach 
to  it  on  the  town  side  over  an  almost  an  imperceptible  slope.  Within  a  few. 
yards  of  its  mouth,  as  we  have  already  observed,  a  rude  but  strpng  wooden 
bridge,  over  which  lay  the  high  road,  had  been  constructed  by  the  French ; 
and  from  the  centre  of  this,  all  the  circuit  of  intermediate  clearing,  even  to 
the  very  skirt  of  the  forest,  was  distinctly  commanded  by  the  naked  eye. 
To  the  right,  on  approachmg  it  fr6m  the  town,  lay  the  adjacent  shores  of 
Canada,  washed  by  the  broad  wslters  of  the  Detroit,  on  which  it  was  thrown 
into^  strong  relief,  and  which,  at  the  distance  of  about  a  mile  in  front,  was 
seen  to  diverge  into  two  distinct  channels,  pursuing  each  a  separate  course, 
until  they  again  met  at  the  western  extremity  of  Hog  Lslaiid.  On  the  leftj 
xnd  in  the  front,  rose  a  succession  of  slightly  undulating  hills,  which,  at  a 
distance  of  little  more  than  half  a  mile,  terminated  in  an  elevation  considera- 
bly above  the  immediate  level  of  the  Detroit  side  of  the  ravine.  That,  again, 
was  crowned  with  thick  and  overhanging  forest,  taking  its  circular  sweep 
around  the  fort.  The  iitermetiiate  ground  was  studded  over  with  rude  sttimps 
of  treee.  and  bore  in  various  directions,  distinct  proofs  of  th#spoUatibn 
.wrought  among  the  infant  possessions  of  the  murdered  English  settlers.  The 
view  to  the  rear  was  less  open  ;  the- town  being  partially  hidden  by  thefniit- 
laden  orchards  that  lined  the  inlfrvening  high  road,  and  hung  principally  on 
its  left..  This  was  not  the  case  \yith  the  fort.  Between  these  orchards  and 
the  distant  forest  lay  a  line  of  open  country,  fully  commanded  by  its  cannon, 
even' to  the  ravine  we  have  described,, and  in  a  sweep  that  embraced  every 
thing  from  the  bridge  itself  to  the  forest,  in  which  all  trace  of  its  source  was 
lost. 

When  the  detachment  had  arrived  within  twenty  yards  of  the  bridge,  they, 
were  made  to  file  off  to  the  left,  until  the  last  gim  had  come  up.  They  were 
then  fronted  ;  the  rear  section  of  Captain  Erskine's  company  resting  on  tha 
road,  and  the  left  fiank,  covered  by  the  two  first  guns  ^inted  obliquely,  both 
in  front  and  rear,  to  guard  against  surprise,  in  the  event  of  any  of  the  Indians 
stealing  round  to  the  cover  of  the  orchards.  The  route  by  which  they  had 
approached  this  spot  was  upwards  of  two  milbs  in  extent  j  but,  as  they  now 
tiled  off  into  the  open  ground,  the  leading  sections  observed,  in  a  direct  tine 
ovfer  the  deared  country,  and  at  the  distance  of  little  more  than  three  quar- 
ters of  a  mile,  the  dark  ramparts  of  the  fbrtress  that  contained  their  comrades, 
and  could  even  distinguish  u\q  uniforms  of  the  officers  and  men  drawn  up  in 


"I 


I  if  i  i>  y- 


,.y  wacousta;  or,  the  prophecy. 


63 


lino  along  the  works,  where  they,  were  evi<lently  assembloti  to  witnewi  the 
execution  of  the  sentence  on  Ilalloway. 

Such  a  sight  as  that  of  the  English  so  far  from  their  fort,  was  not  hkely  to 
escape  thoaiotice  of  the  Indians.  Thoii-  encampment,  as  the  Canadian  had  • 
truly  stated  lay  within  the  forest,  and  beyond  the  elevated  ground  ali'uady 
alluded  to ;  and  to  have  crossed  the  ravine,  or  ventured  out  of  reach  of  the 
cannon  of  the  fort,  would  have  been  to  seal  the  destruction  -of  the  detach- 
ment. But  the  officer  to  whom  their  security  was  entrusted,  although  he  had 
his  own  particular  views  for  vwituring  thus  far,  knew  also  at  what  point  ta 
stop  ;  and  such  was  the  confidence  of  his  men  in  his  skill  and  prudence,  they 
would  have  fearlessly  followed  whei-ever  he  might  have  chosen  to  lead.  Still, 
even  amid  all  the  solemnity  of  prepaiation  attendant  on  the  duty  they  wervl 
out  to  pefform,  there  was  a  natural  and  .secret  apprehensiveness  about  each, 
that  caused  him  to  cast  his  eyes  frequently  and  fixedly  on  that  part  of  the 
forest  which  was  known  to  attbrd  cover  to  their  merciless  foes.  At  times  they 
fancied  they  beheld  the  dark  and  flitting  form«  of  men  gliding  from  tree  to 
tree  along  the  skirt  of  the  wood  ;  but  when  they  gazed  again,  nothing  of  the 
kind  was  to  be  seen,  and  the  illusion  was  at  once  ascribe<i  to^the  heavy  state 
of  the  atmosphere^  and  the  action  of  their  own  precautionary  instincts. 

Meanwhile  the  solemn  tragedy  of  death  was  preparing  in  mournful  silence. 
On  the  centre  of  the  bridge,  and  yisible  to  those  even  within  the  fort,  was 
placed  the  coffin  of  Ilalloway,  and  at  twelve  paces"  in  front  were  draJ^n  up 
the  six  rank  and  file  on  whom  had  devolved,  by  lot,  the  cruel  duty  of  the 
dty.  With  calm  and  fearless  eye  the  prisoner  surveyed  the  preparations  for 
his  approaching  end ;  and  whatever  might  be  the  inward  workings  of  his 
mind,  there  was  not  among  the  assembled  soldiery  one  individual  whose 
countenance  betrayed  so  little  ^of  sorrow  and  emotion  af  his  own.  With  a 
firm  step,  when  summoned,  he  moved  towards  the  fatal  coffin,  dashing  his 
cap  to  the  earth  as  he  advanced,  and  baring  his  chest  with  the  characteristic 
contempt  of  death  of  the  soldier.  When  he  had  reached  the  centre  of  the 
bridge,  he  turned  facing  his  comrades,  and  knelt  upon  th<J  coffin.  Captain 
Blessington,  who,  permitted  by  "the  governor,  had  followed  him  with  a  sad 
heart  and  heavy  step,  now  drew  a  prayer-book  from  his  pocket,  and  read 
from  it  in  a  low  voice.  He  then  closed  the  volume,  listened  to  something  the 
prisoner  earnestly  co^numicated,  to  him,  received  a  small  packet  which  he 
drew  from  the  bosom  of  his  shirt,  shook  him  long  and  cordially  by  the  hand, 
and  then  hastily  resumed  his  p^st  at  the  head  of  the^etachment. 

The  principal  inhabitants  'of  the  village,  led  by  curiosity,  had  followed  at  a 
distance  to  witf»ess*the  execution  of  the  condemned  soldier ;  and  above  the 
heads  of  the  line,  and  crowning  the  slope,  were  collected  groups  of  both  sexes 
and  cf  all  ages,  that  gave  a  still  more  impoajpg  character  to  the  .scene.  Every 
eye  was  now  tiu-ned  upon  the  firing  party,  wno  only  awaited  the  signal  to  ex- 
ecute their  melancholy  office,  when  suddenly,  in  the  direction  of  the  forest, 
and  upon  the  extreme  height,  there  burst  the  tremendous  and  deafening 
yells  of  more  than  a  thousand  savageS.  For  an  instaift  Ilalloway  was  for- 
gotten in  the  instinctive  sense  of  individual  danger,  and  all  gazed  eagerly  to 
ascertain  the  movements  of  their  enemy.  Presently,  a  man,  naked  to  the 
waist,  his  body  and  face  besmeared  with  streaks  of  black  and  red  paint,  and 
his  whole  attitude  expressing  despair  and  horror,  was  seen  flying  down  the 
height  with  a  rapidity  proportioned  to  the  extreme  peril  in  which  he  stood. 
At  about  fifty  paces  in  his  rear  followed  a  dozen  bounding,  screaming  In- 
dians, armed  with  uplifted  tomahawks,  whose  anxiety  in  pursuit  lent  them  a 
speed  that  even  surpassed  the  efforts  of  flight  itself.  It  was  evident  the  ob- 
ject of  the  pursued  was  to  reach  the  detachment  that  of  the  pursuers  to  pre- 
vent him.  The  struggle  was  maintained  for  a  few  moments  with  equality, 
but  in  the  end  the  latter  were  triumphant,  imd  at  each  step  the  distance  that 
separated  them  became  less.  At  the  first  alarm,  the  attachment,  with  ttit 
txoeption  of  the  firing  party,  who  still  occupied  their  gror ad,  had  beon  fhrow* 


■f  ;  1 

'     I;    ■  H' 


■m 


V  ,,4-;' 


3.',. 


■:i 


^Ml 


«i- 


i  w 


j'i 


M. 


64 


WACOU8TA 


OR,     THE     PROPHECY. 


il-; 


it 


it. 


into  S(juare,  and,  with  a  pim  planted  in  each  angle,  awaited  the  attack  mo- 
montaril y  expected.  But  ul  though  the  heights  were  now  alive  with  the  dusky 
forms  of  naked  warriors,  ^ho,  from  the. skirt  of  the  forest,  watched  the  ex- 
ertions of  their  fellows,  the  ])ur.siiit  of  the  wretched  fugitive  was  confined  to 
these  alone.  Foremost  of  the  latter,  and  distinguished  by  hiS  violent  exer- 
tions and  fiendish  cries.  wa.s  the  tall  and  wildly  attired  warrior  of  the  Fleur 
de-Lis.  At  evei-y  bound  he  gained  upon  his  victim.  Already  were  they  de- 
scending the  nearest  of  the  undulating  hills,  and  both  now  became  conspijlu- 
ous'to  all  around ;  but  principally  the  pursuer,  whose  gigantic  frame  and  ex- 
traordinary speed  riveted  every  .eye,  even  while  the  interest  of  all  was  ex- 
cited for  the  wretched  fugitive  alone. 

At  that  moment  Halloway.  who  had  be<»n  gazing  on  the  scene  with  an  as- 
tonishment little  inferior  to  that  of  his  comrades,  sprang  suddenly  to  his  feet 
upon  the  coffin,  and  wsiving  his  hand  in  the  direction  of  the  pursuing  enemy, 
shouted  aloud  in  a  voice  of  mingled  ioy  and  triumph, — 

,"  Ila  !  Almighty  God,  I  thank  thee !  Here,  here  comes  one  who  {ilone  has 
the  power  to  snatctf  m*  from  my  impending  doom." 

"  By  Heaven,  the  traitor  confesses,  and  presumes  to  triumph  in  his  gtiilt," 
exclaimed  the  voice  of  one,  who,  while  closely  attending  to  every  movement  6f 
the  Indians,  was  also  vigilantly  watching  the  eflfect  likely  to  hb  produced  ofi 
,  the  prisbner  by  this  unexpected  intc^uptioto.     "  Corporal,  do  your  duty." 

"  Stay,  stay — one  moment  stay !"  implored  Halloway  with  uplifted,  hands. 

"  Do  your  duty,  su\"  fiercely  repeated  the  governor. 

"  ©h  .iitop — for  God's  sake,  stop !  Another  moment  and  he,  will  be  here, 
and  I^ — "  ^ 

He  said  no  more — a  dozen  bullets  penetrated  his  body — one  passed  dir^tly 
through  his  heart.  He  leaped  several  feet  in  the  air,  and  then  fell  heavily,  a 
lifeless  bleeding  corpse,  across  the  coflBn. 

Meanwhile  the  pursuit  of  the  fugitive  was  continued,  but  by  the  warrior  of 
the  Fleur  de  Lis  alone.  Aware  of  their  inefliciency  to  keep  pace  with  this  sin- 
gular being,  his  companions  had  rdinquishod  the  chase,  and  now  stood  resting 
on  the  brow  of  the  hill  where  the  wretched  Halloway  had  first  recognised 
his  supposed  deliverer,  watching  eagerly,  though  mthin  musket  shot  of  the 
detachment,  the  result  of  a  race  on  which  so  much  apparently  depended. 
Neither  party,  however,  attempted  to  interfere  with  the  other,  for  all  eyes 
were  now  tume(i*on  the  flying  man  and  his  pursuer  with  an  interest  that  de- 
noted the  cxtraoidinary  efforts  of  the  ong  to  evade  and  the  other  to  attain 
the  accomplishment  of  his  object.  The  immediate  'course  taken  was  in  a 
direct  line  for  the  rav\pe,  which  it  evidently  was  the  object  of  the  fugitive  to 
clear  at  its  nearest  point.  Already  had  he  approached  within  a  few  paces  of 
its  brink,  and  every  eye  was  fastened  on  the  point  where  it  was  expected  the 
doubtful  leap  would  be  taken,  when  suddenly,  as  if  despairing  to  accomplish 
it  at  a  bound,  he  turned  to  thWeft,  and  winding  along  its  bank,  renewed  his 
efforts  in  the  direction  of  the  bfidge.  This  movement  occasioned  a  change  in 
."  the  position  of  the  parties,  which  was  favorable  to  the  pursued.  Hitherto 
they  had  been/50  immediately  on  a  line  with  each  other,  it  was  impossible  for 
v^the  detaeliment  tolbring  a  musket  to  bear  upon  the  warrior,  without  endan- 
grring  him  whose  life  they  were  Anxious  to  preserve.  For  a  moment  or  two 
his  body  was  fairly  exposed,  and  a  dozen  muskets  were  di.scharged  at  intervals 
from  th('  r.quare,  but  all  without  success.  Recovering  his  lost  ground,-he  soon 
brought  the  pursued  again  in  a  line  between  himself  and  the  detachment, 
edging  rapidly  nearer  to  him  as  he  advanced,  and  uttering  terrific  yells,  that 
were  echoed  back  from  his  companions  on  the  brow  of  the  hill.  It  was  evi- 
dent, however,  hi.s  object  was  the  re-capture,  not  the  destruction,  of  the  fly- 
ing man,  for  more  than  orice  did  he  brandish  his  menacing  tomahawk  m 
rapid  sweeps  around  his  hea,d,  as  if  preparing  to  dart  it,  and  as  often  did  he 
dieck  the  movement.  The  scone  at  each  succeeding  moment  became  more 
/Critical  and  intensely  interesting.    The  strength  of  the  pursied  was  now 


^othr'vhr.A 


wacou*sta;'OR,    thk    prophecy 


65 


:  mo- 
lusky    . 
le  ex- 
led  to 
exer- 
Fleur 
ey  de- 
ispitu- 
id  ex- 
as  ex- 

an  as- 
lis  feet 
2nemy, 

ne  has 

guilt," 
nent  6f 
iced  oft 
ity." 
.  hands. 

ae  here, 

dir^tly 
eavily,  a 

irrior  of 
[this  sin- 
1  restin<^ 
cognised 
•t  of  the 
epcnded. 
all  eyes 
that  de- 
to  attain 


nearly  exhaustod,  while  that  of  his  fonnidtiblc  enemy  seemed  to  suffer  no 
diminution.  Leiip  after  leap  he  took\\vith  fearful  superiority,  sideling  as  he 
advanced.  Already  had  he  closed  upon  his  victim,  while  witii  a  springing 
effort  a  large  and  bony  hand  was  extended  to  secure  his  shoulder  in  his  grasp. 
The  effort  was  fatal  tg  him  ;  for  in  reaching  too  far  he  lost  his  balance,  and 
fell  heavily  upon  the  sward.  A  shout  of  exulta.tion  burst  from  the  English 
troops,  and  numerous  voices  now  encouraged  the  piirsucd  to  renew  his  exer- 
tions. The  advice  was  not  lost ;  and  although  ohly  a  few  seconds  had  elaps- 
ed between  the^'fall  and  recovery  of  his  pursuer,  the  wretched  fugitive  liad 
already  greatly  increased  t\\e  distance  that  separated  them.  A  cry  of  savage 
rage  and  disapj)ointment  burst  from  the  lips  of  the  gigantic  warrior ;  and  con- 
centrating all  his  remaining  strength  and  speed  into  one  final  effort,  he  bound- 
ed and  leapt  like  a  deer  in  the  forest  whence  he  came.  The  Opportunity  for 
re-capture,  however,  had  been  lost  in  his  fall,  for  already  the  pursued  was 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  high  road,  and  on  the  point  of  turning  the  extremi- 
ty of  the  bridge.  One  only  resource  was  noAV  le^'t:  the  warrior  suddenly 
checked  himself  in  his  course,  and  remaiscd  statit  nary ;  thep  raising  and 
dropping  his  glittering  weapon  several  times  in  a  balancing  position,  he 
waited  until  the  pursued  had  gained  the  highest  point  of  th«  open  bridge.  At 
that  moment  the  glittering  steel,  aimed  with  singular  accuiuC}^  a.'.d  precision, 
flew  whistling  through  the  air.  and  with  such  velocity  >f  movi"  ent  as  *■  be 
almost  invisible  to  the  eyes  of  those  who  attempted  to  follow  it  in  its  tli  ^at- 
ening  course.  All  expC'cted  to  .see  it  enter  into  the  brain  against  which.  i»  tiad 
been  directed ;  but  the  fugitive  had  marked  the  movement  in  time  lO  save 
hinMKilf  by  stooping  low  to  the  earth,  while  the  weapon,  j)assii  ^  •  .er  him,  en- 
terU  with  a  deadly  and  crashing  sound  into  the  brain  of  the  >«'eke;'ng  corpse. 
This  danger  passed,  he  sprang  once  more  to  his  feet,  nor  pau.sed  again  in  flfs 
flight  until,  faint  and  exhausted,  he  sank  without  motion  under  the  very  bay- 
onets of  the  firing  party.  * 

■  A  new  direction  was  now  given  to  the  interest  of  the  assembled  and  dis- 
tinct crowds  that  had  witnessed  these  startling  incidents.  Scarcely  had  the 
wretched. man  gained  the  protection  of  the  .'^^(ildiery,  when  ash.'c]<  divided  the 
air,  so  wild,  bo  piercing,  and  so  unearthly,  that  even  the  warrior  of  the  Fleur 
de  Lis  seemed  to  lose  sight  of  his  victim  in  the  harrowing  interest  produced  by 
that  dreadful  SQream.  All  turned  their  eyes  for  a  moment  in  the  quarter 
whence  it  proceeded ;  when  presently,  from  behind  the  groups  of  Canadians 
crowning  the  slope,  was  seen  fiyhig,  with  the  rapidity  of  thought,  one  who 
resembled  rather  a  spectre  than  a  being  of  eaith. ; — it  was  the  wife  of  Hallo 
way.  Her  long  fair  hair  was  wild  and  stream.,  c  her  feet,  and  legs,  and 
arins  were  naked — and  one  solitary  and  .scanty  giv:  :■  at  displayed  rather  than 
concealed  the  .symmetry  of  her  delicate  person.  Sho  ftew  to  the  fatal  bridge, 
threw  herself  on  the  body  of  her  bleeding  husband,  and  imprinting  her  warm 
kisses  on  his  bloody  lips,  for  a  moment  or  *'-xo  presented  the  image  of  one 
whose  reason  has  fled  for  ever.  Suddenly  she  started  from  the  earth ;  her 
face,  her  hands,  and  her  garments  so  satur.vted  with  the  blood  of  her  husband, 
that  R  feeling  of  horror  crept  throughout  the  veins  of  all  who  beheld  her. 
She  stood  upon  the  coffin,  and  across  the  corpse — raised  her  eyes  and  hands 
imploringly  to  Heaven — and  then,  in  accents  wilder  even  than  her  words,  ut- 
tered an  impresatiou  that  sounded  like  the  prophetic  warning  of  some  unholy 
spirit. 

"  Inhuman  miwderer !"  she  exclaimed,  in  tones  that  almost  paralyzed  the 
oars  on  which  it  fell,  "  if  there  be  a  God  of  justice  and  of  truthj^he  will 
avenge  this  devilish  deed.  Yes.  Colonel  de  Haldimar,  a  prophetic  voice  whis- 
pers to  my  soul,  that  even  as  I  have  seen  perish  before  my  eyes  all  that  I 
loved  on  oarth,  without  mercy  and  without  hope,  so  even  shall  you  witness 
the  destruction  of  your  accursed  race.  Here — here — here,"  and  she  pointed 
downwards,  with  singular  energy  of  action,  to  the  corpse  of  her  husband. 

"  here  shall  their  blood  flow  till  ev^ry  vestige  of  his  own  is  washed  away,  and 


^ 

-:%' 


m 


I 


^', 


r  il 

I.  I 


m 


y 


66 


wacousta;    ok,    the    propheot. 


'•»"iii  H 


ohj  if  there  be  spared  one  branch  of  thy  detested  family,  may  it  be  only 
that  they  may  be  reserved  for  some  death  too  horrible  to  be  conceived ! " 

Overcome  by  the  frantic  energy  with  whicl'  she  had  uttered  these  appalling 
■words,  she  sank  backwards,  and  fell,  uttering  another  shriok,  into  the  arms- 
of  the  warrior  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis,  who  bore  oif  his  priz-e  in  triumph,  and  lied, 
with  nearly  the  same  expedition  he  had  previously'  manifL'sted,  in  the  direction 
of  the  forest,  before  any  one  could  recover  sufficiently  from  the  effect  of  th* 
scene  to  think  even  of  interfering. 


■  V  ■-■4 

■U.i 


•I 


CHAPTER  X. 


\  V 


m ' 


'M 


[  i 


It  was  on  the  evening;  of  that  day,  so  fertile  in  melancholy  incident,  to 
il  which  the  previous  pages  have  been  devoted,  that  th?  draw-bi-idge  of  Detroit 

•  I  was,  for  the  third  time  since  the  investnu-nt  of  the  garrison,  loweitjd  ;  not  as 

>  previously,  with  a  disregard  of  the  intimation  that  might  be  given  to  those 

'         without  by  the  sullen  and  echoing  rattle  oi  its  ponderous  chains,  but  with  a\ 
caution  attesting  how  much  secrcsy  of  purpose  was  sought  to  be  preserved.  ■ 
There  was.  however,  no  array  of  jirmed  men  within  the^walls,  that  denoted 
an  expedition  of  a  hostile  character.     Overcome  with  the  harassing  duties  of 
the  day,  the  chief  portion  of  the  troops  had  retired  to  rest,  and  a  few  groups 
of  the  guard  alone  were  to  be  seen  walking  up  and  down  in  front  of  their 
post,  apparently  with  a  view  to  check  the  influence  of  midnight  drowsin<||k,  ^ 
but,  in  reality,  to  witness  the  result  of  certain  preparations  going  on  by  torch- ' ' 
lignt  in  the  centre  of  the  barrack  square.  , 

In  the  midfd  of  an  anxious  group  of  officers,  comprising  nearly  all  of.  that ' 
'        rank  within  tne  fort,  stood  two  individuals,  attired  in  a  costume  having  noth- 
ing in  common  with  the  gay  and  raartiaf  habiliments  of  the  former.     They 
were  tall,  handsome  young  men,  whose  native  elegance  of  carriage  was  but 
imperfectly  hidden  under  an  equipment  evidently  adopted  for,  and  otherwise 
fully  answering,  the  purpose  of  disguise.     A  blue  cotton  shell  jacket,  closely  ■ 
fitting  to  the  person,  trowscrs  of  the  same  material,  a  pair  of  strong  deer 
skin  mocca^sins.  and  a  colored  handkerchief  tied  loosely  round  the  collar  of  a 
checked  shirt,  the  whole  surmounted  by  a  rough  blanket  coat,  forming  th&  , 
principal  portion  of  their  garb.     Each,  moreover,  wore  a  false  (fiieue  of  about 
nine  inches  in  length,  tl     effect  of  which  \va.s  completely  to  change  the  char-   ^ 
acter  of  the  countenanc  ,  and  i-ender  to  the  features  a  Oanadian-like  cxprbs- 
sion.     A  red  worsted  cap.  resembling  a  bonnet  dc  nw't.  was  thrown  carelessly 
over  the  side  of  the  head,  which  could,  at  any  momen..,  when  deeper  disguise 
should  be  deemed  necessary,  comHiand  the  additional  protection  of  the  rude 
hood  that  foH  back  upon  the  shoulders  from  th"  collar  of  the  coat  to  which  it 
was  attached.     Into  a  l.>road  belt,  that  encircled  tbe  jai^ket  of  each,  were  thrust 
a  brace  of  pistols  and  a  strong  dagger  ;  the  whole  so  di.'^poscd,  however,  as  to 
be  invisible  when  the  odter  garment  was  clo.sed  :  this,  again,  was  confined  by 
a  rude  sa.sh  gf  worsted  of  different  colors,  not  nnlike,  in  texture  and  quality, 
what  ia  worn  by  our  sergeants  at  the  present  day      They  were  otherwise 
^  armed,  however,  and  in  a  less  secret  manner.     Across  the  right  shotilder  of 

civch  was  thrown  a  belt  of  worsted  also,  to  which  we.-e  attached  a  rude  pow- 
der-horn and  shot-pouch,  with  a  few  strniigling  bullets,  placet!  there  as  if 
rather  by  accident  than  design.  Eiu;h  held  carel(!ssi'y  in  his  left  lian'i,  and 
with  its  Dutt  resting  on  the  earth,  a  long  gun ;  compl«  ting  an  appearance,  tho 
attainment  of  which  had,  in  all  probability,  been  sedulously  sought, — that  of 
'a  Canadian  duck-huntet\ 

A  metamorphosis  so  mdicrously  operated  in  the  usually  elegai\t  costume  of 
tw  oung  English  officers, — for  such  they  wore, — might  have  been  expected  to 
•ffurd  «<^o|K5  to  the  pleasahtry  of  their  compaiiions,  and  to  call  forth  tnoso  i»U 


M 


his 

do  <\ 
full)' 

701 

IS'lCM 

ye  ha 
.Jomp 
fear,' 
at  a 
unple 
Th 
in  his 
men, 
shou 
thouj 

heart 
"S 
ward! 
have 
man. 

UlOJMt 


WACOUSTA 


O  R 


THE     PROPHECY. 


m 


lies  which  the  intimacy  of  friernlship  and  the  freemasonry  of  the  profession 
would  have  fully  justified.  But  the  events  that  had  occured  ia  such  rapid 
Kuccession.  since  the  juecedin;^  midnight,  were  stiil  painfully  impressed  on  the 
recollection  of  all,  and  some  there*  Were  who  looked  as  if  they  never  would  ' 
pmile  again ;  ii'-ither  lan;,h  nor  jeerinrr.  therefore,  escaped  the  lips  of  one  of 
the  surroundinji-  erroup.  Every  countenance  wore  a  cast  of  thought, — a  char- 
acter of  ab.'^tra'^tioji  ill  :,uited  to  the  indulgence  of  levity;  and  the  little  con-/ 
versafcion  that,  pas-  '1  n^t«ee]i  thf-m  was  in  a  low  and  serioiis  tcme.  It  was 
evident  SOUK' jn()weifiil  un\  absorbing  dread  e.xistcil  in  the  mind  of  each,  in- 
ducing him  ratlier  to  indulge  in  communion  with  his  own  thoughts  and  im- 
prCvSsions.  than  to  communicate  them  to  othcr.s.  Even  the  gpyernor  himself 
had,  for  a  moment,  pu:  oU'  his  usual  distance,  to  a.ssume  an  air  of  unfeigned 
concern,  and  it  migh'  be,  dyection.  contraslinv;  strongly  with  his  habitual 
haughtiness.  Hither co  he  had  been  walking  to  and  fro,  a  little  apart  from  the 
group,  anil  with  a  hufrie'lness  and  hj^ecisicn  of  movement  that  hetraved  to 
all  the  extreme  agitr.tion  of  his  mind.  For  unfy,  however,  he  appeared  to  be, 
if  not  insensible  to  ob.servation.  inditferent  to  whatever  comments  might  be 
formed  or  expresse  1  by  those  who  witnesstid  his  <  motion.  He  was  at  length 
interrupted  by  the  adjutant,  who  comnmuicated  something  in  a  low  voice. 

"Let  him  be  b' ought  up,  Mr.  Lawson,"  was  the  ix'ply.  Then  advancing 
into  the  heart  of  the  group,  and  addressing  the  two  adventurers,  he  enquired, 
in  a  tone  that  st  trtled  from  its  singular  mildness,  "  if  they  were  provided  with 
everything  they  required." 

An  affirmati'  e  rejdy  was  given,  when  the  governor,  taking  the  taller  of  the  \ 
young  men  a;  ide.  conversed  with  him  earnestly,  and  in  a  tone  of  affection 
strangely  blej.ded  with  despondency.    The  interview,  however,  y&s  short,  for 
Mr.  Lawson  now  made  his  appearance,  conducting  an  individual  who  has  al-  , 
ready  been  .ntroduced  to  our  readers.     It  was  the  Canadian  of  the  Fleur  do 
Lis.   The  ar  jutant  placed  n  small  wooden  crucifix  in  the  hands  of  the  governor. 

"  Fran^;cis,"  said  the  latter,  impressively,  "you  know  the  terms  on  which  I 
have  cons' nted  to  spare  your  life.  Swear,  then,  by  thi.H  cross;  that  yon  will 
be  faithfu,  to  yo\ir  trust ;  that  neither  treachery  nor  evasion  shall  be  practised! 
and  that  yoti  will  to  the  utmost  of  your  power,  aid  in  conveying  these, gentle- 
men to  their  destination.     Kneel  and  swear  |J,." 

"Id)  swear  it !"  fervently  repeated  the  auhergiste,  kneeling  and  imprinting 
his  lij '^  with  becoming  reverence  on  the  symbol  of  martyrdom.  "  I  swear  to 
do  <\vL  1  shall  engage,  and  may  de  bon  Dieu  have  mercv  to  my  soul  as  I  shall 
fultl'  my  oat." 

''  Amen."  [>ronoun(!ed  the  governor,  "  and  may  Heaven  deal  by  you  even  as 
vo  I  deal  by  us.  Bear  in  mind,  moreover,  that  as  your  treaxjhery  will  be  pun- 
is' icd,  so  also  sliall  j'our  fidelity  be  rewarded.  But  the  night  wears  apace,  and 
ye  have  much  to  do."  Then  turning  to  the  young  officers  who  were  to  be  his 
companions, — "  (iod  bless  you  both  ;  may  your  enterprise  bo  successful !  T 
fear,"  offering  his  Imnd  to  the  younger,  "  I  have  spoken  harshly  to  you,  but 
at  a  moment  like  the  present  you  will  no  longer  cherish  a  recollection  of  the 
unnleasant  past." 

The  only  ausvyer  was  a  cordial  return  of  his  own  prcsurc.  The  Canadian 
in  his  ttirn  now^^announced  the  necessity  for  instant  departure,,  when  the  young 
men,  following  his  e.\ami)le,  threw  their  long  gims  carelessly  over  the  left 
should- T.  Low,  rapid,  and  f.-rvent  adieux  were  uttered  on  both  .sides;  ami  al- 
though the  hands  of  the  separating  parties  met  only  in  a  short  and  hurried  "" 
grasp,  there  was  an  expression  in  the  touch  of  each  that  spoke  to  their  sevorsi 
neiirts  long  after  the  separation  had  actually  taken  place. 

"  Stay  one  moment !"  exclaimed  a  voitie,  as  the  little  party  now  moved  to- 
wards tlic  gate-wny;  "ye  are  both  gallantly  enough  provided* without,  but 
have  forgotten  thei-e  is  souicthing  quite  as  necessary  to  sustain  the  inward 
man.  Duck  shooting,  you  know,  is  wet  work,  'tha  last  lips  that  wor« 
inoisteiv  d  from  this."  he  i)ToceedtMl.  as  the  younger  of  the  disgiiisfMl  mrn  tlirow 


¥  'I 


• '  •  1 


H 


'Hi 


68 


wacousta;  or,  thb  prophecy. 


the  strap  of  the  proffered  canteen  over  his  shoulder.  "  were  those  of  poor  Ellen 
HalloWay." 

The  mention  of  that  name,  so  heedlessly  pronounced  by  the  bravo  Init  in- 
considerate Erskine,  produced  a  startling  effect  on  the  taller  of  the  (lei)arting 
oflBcers.  He  struck  his  brow  violently  with  his  hand,  uttered  a  faint  groan, 
and  beudin[.^  his  head  upon  his  chest,  stood  iy  an  attitude  expressive  of  the 
deep  suffering  of  his  raincL  The  governor,  too.  appeared  agitated :  and  soimda' 
like  those  of  suppressed  sobs  came  from  one  who  lingered  at  the  side  of  him 
who  had  accepted  the  offer  of  the  canteen.  The  remainder  of  the  officers  pre- 
served a  deep  aiid  mournful  silence. 

"It  is  times  dat  we  should  start,"  again  observed  the  Canadian,  " or  we 
shall  be  taken  by  de  da3'light  before  we  can  clear  de  river." 

Thi^  intimation'  once  more  aroused  the  slumbering  energies  of  the  taller  of- 
ficer. Again  he  drew  up  his  commanding  figure,  extended  his  hand  to  .the 
governor  in  silence,  and  turning  abruptly  round,  hastened  to  follow  close  ic 
the  footsteps  of  his  conductor. 

"  You  will  not  forget  all  I  have  said  to  you,"  whispered  the  voice  of  one 
who  had  reserved  his  parting  for  the  last,  and  who  now  held  the  hand  of  the 
younger  adventurer  closely  clasped  within  his  own.  "  Think,  oh,  think  how 
much  <lcpen(ls  on  the  event  of  your  dangerous  enterprise." 

"  When  you  behold  me  again."  was  the  reply,  "  it  v/ill  be  with  smiles  on 
my  lip  and  gladness  in  my  heart;  for  if  we  fail,  there  is  that  which  whispers 
I  shall  never  see  you  more.  But  keep  up  your  spirits  and  hope  for  the  best. 
We  embark  under  cheerlC'ss  nuspici's,  it  is  true  ;  but  let  us  trust  to  Providence 
for  su(x;ess  in  so  good  a  cause, — God  bless  you !" 

In  the  next  miiuite  he  had  Joini  d  his  companions;  who,  with  light  and 
n6ise1ess  tread,  were  aheady  pursuing  their  way  along  the  military  road  that 
led  to  the  eastern  (ixtremity  of  the  town.  Soon  aftei-wards  the  heavy  chains 
of  the  drawbridge  were  heard  grating  on  the  ear,  in  despite  of  the  evident  cau- 
tion Jised  in  restoring  it  to  its  wonte^.position,  and  all  again  was  still. 

It  had  at  first  been  suggested  their  course  should  be  held'ln  an  angular 
direction  acioss  th<"  cltared  country  allude(l  to  iu  our  last  chapt(T.  in  order  to 
avoid  all  chance  of  recognition  in  the  town;  but  as  this  niiiilil  have  led  tUeni 
into  luoro  dangerous  contact;  with  some  of  the  outlying  parties  of  Indians,  who 
were  known  to  prowl  around  the  fort  at  iiiglit.  this  p  in  had  been  abam^oned 
for  the  more  circuitniis  and  sa(ip  passage  by  the  village.  Through  this  our 
l^tle  party  now  pin^;ued  their  way,  and  without  encounttying  aught  to  im- 
pede Uieir  progress.  The  sjinple  inannered  inhabitants  had  long  since  retired 
to  rest,  and  neither  light  nvr  sounrl  denoted  the  existence  of  man  or  beast 
within  its  precin(;l.s.  At  length  they  reached  tliat  part  of  the  road  which 
turned  oH'abitiptly  in  the  direction  of  the  Fleuv  de  Lis.  The  nule  hut  threw 
its  diuk  shadows  across  their  path,  hut  all  was  still  and  deathlike  as  in  the 
villa;.',.'  thev  had  just  quitted.'  Presently,  however,  as  they  <lrew  nearer,  they 
beheld,  reffeeted  from  one  of  the  upper  windows,  a  faint  light  that  fell  upon 
the  giound  iinme^liately  in  CrKiit  of  the  auberjie ;  ;md.  at  intervals,  the  figure 
of  a  human  lujing  approa*  dig  and  receding  from  it  as  if  Ju  the  tu'l  of  pacing 
the  apiy'ttnent. 

,  All  instinctive  feeling  of  danger  rose  at  the  sat^e  nmnient  to  the  hearts  of 
the  young  <)ffie(;rs ;  and  each,  obeving  the  same  impulse,  nnfa.stened  one  of 
the  lajgo  liorn  buttons  of  his  blanket  (;oat,  and  thrust  his  right  IihiwI  into  the 
opening. 

''  '''rantois,  recollect  your  oath,"  hastily  aspirated  the  elder  as  he  grasped 
the  hand  of  their  conductor  rather  in  supplication  than  In  threat ;  '  if  there  bo 
ftught  to  liarm  us  hero,  your  own  life  will  most  assuredly  pay  the  forfeit  of 
your  faith." 

"It  ig  nothing  but  a  woman,"  calmlv  returned  the  Canadian;  "it  is  my 
nabette  who  is  .sorry  at  my  loss.     Hut  I  sliall  come  ami  tell  you  ilinK'tly." 

Ho  then  stole  gently  round  the  corner  of  the  hut,  leavini;  his  an\ioiu<  com 


wacovsta; 


OR,     THE     P  R  (>  P  H  K  C  Y  . 


6U 


panioniiip  the  rtar  of  the  little  building,  and  coiuplett'ly  v»ikd  in  tlu;  obscurity 
produced  by  the  nungiing  shadows  of  thehut  itself,  and  a  i'mv  (all  pear  trees 
that  overhung  the  paling  of  the  orchard  at  some  yards  from  tlio  spot  on  which 
they  stood. 

They  waited  some  minutes  to  hear  the  result  of  the  Canadian's  admittance 
into  his  dwelling;  bu*  although  each  with  suppressed  breathinu;  souj-ht  to 
catch  those  sounds  o!'  •. "Icome  with  which  a  daughter  might  be  supjiosi'd  to 
greet  a  parent  so  Ui.'";pecte^Iy  restored,  they  listened  m  vain.  At  length, 
•  however,  whiie  the  ears  of  both  were  oh  the  rack  to  drink  in  the  tones  of  a 
human  voice,  a  faint  scream  tioated  on  the  hushed  air,  and  all  again  was  still. 

"'  Good  !"  whispered  the  elder  of  the  officers ;  "  that  scream  is  sweeter  to 
my  ears  than  the  softest  accents  of  a  woman's  love.  It  is  evident  the  ordi- 
nary tones  of  speech  cannot  find  their  way  to  us  here  from  the  front  of  the 
hut..  The  faintness  of  yon  Qry,  which  was  unquestionably  that  of  a  female, 
is  a  convincing  proof  of  it." 

"  Hist !"  urged  his  companion,  in  the  same  almost  inaudible  whisper,  "  what 
sound  was  that  V 

Both  again  listened  attentively,  when  the  noi«e  was  repeated.  Tt  cama . 
from  the  orchard,  and  resembled  the  sound  produced  by  the  faint  crash  pf 
rotten  sticks  and  leaves  uftler  the  cautious  but  unav-oidably  rending  tread  of 
a  human  foot.  At  intervals  it  ceased,  as  if  the  person  treading,  alarmed  at 
his  own  noise,  was  aj^prehensive  of  betraying  his  approach  ;  and  then  recom- 
menced, only  to  be  checked  ui  the  same  manner.  Finally  it  ceased  altogether. 
For  upwards  of  five  minutes  the  ^oung  men  continued  to  listen  for  a  renewal 
of  the  sound,  but  nothing  was  now  audible,  save  the  short  and  iitful  gusts  of 
u  rising  wind  among  the  trees  of  the  orchard. 

••  it  must  iiave  been  some  wild  animal  in  search  of  its  prey,"  again  whis- 
pered the  younger  otr-oei" ;  "  had  it  beena  man,  we  should  have  heard  him  leap 
the  paiiuii  before  this." 

'*  Uy  lleavou,  we  are  betrayed, — here  he  is,"  quickly  rejoined  the  other,  in 
the  same  low  tone.  "  Keep  close  to  the/hut,  and  stand  behind  me.  If  my 
dagger  fail,  you  must  try  your  own.  But  lire  not,  on  your  life,  unless  there 
be  more  than  Iwo,  for  the  report  of  a  pistol  \vill  be  the  destruction  of  our- 
selves, and  all  that  are  dear  to  us."  Eiich  wilh  uplifted  arm  now  stood  ready 
to  strike,  even  while  his  hestvl  throbbed  with  a  sense  of  danger,  that  had  far 
more  than  ihe  mere  (h'ead  ol  j)orsonal  sullering  or  death  to  stimulate  to  exer- 
tion in  self-defence.  Footsteps  were  now  distinctly  hoard  stealing  round  tliat 
part  of  the  hut  which  bordered  on  the  road  ;  and  the^oung  men  turned  from 
tlie  orchard,  to  which  their  attention  had  previously  been  directed,  towards 
the  new  (juarter  whence  they  were  intruded  upon. 

It  was  fortunate  this  snode  of  approach  had  been  selected.  That  part  of 
tlie  hut  which  I'osled  on  the  road  was  so  exposed  as  to  throw  the  outline  of 
objects  into  strong  relief,  whereas  in  the  direction  of  the  thickly  wood<'d  or- 
chard all  was  impenetrable  gloom.  Had  the  intruder  stolen  unannounced 
upon  the  alarmed  but  determined  oilicors  b^  the  latter  route,  the  daggir  of 
the  first  would  in  all  probability  have  been  plunged  to  its  hilt  in  his  bosom. 
As  it  was,  each  had  siidicient  presence  of  mind  to  distinguish,  ns  it  now 
doubled  the  corner  of  the  hut,  and  reposed  upon  the  load.^ the  stout  sipiart?- 
uet  tiguro  of  the  Canadian.  The  daggers  were  instanti}-  restored  to  their 
sheaths,  and  each,  for  the  hrst  time  since  the -departure  of  their  companion, 
respired  fivi  I >  ,^  ■  It  is  ipiite  well,"  whispered  the  latter  as  he  approached. 
"  It  was  my  poor  Babetle,  who  (ought  I  was  gone  to  he  kil^.  She  screnin  so 
loud  as  if  she  had  seen  my  ghost.  But  we  must  wnit  a  few  mintitein  de 
bouse  and  3011  shall  >ee  how  glad  my  girl  is  to  see  me  once  again," 

"Why  this  delay,  Francois?  why  not  start  directly  ?"  urged  the  taller  offl- 
C\jf }  "  we  shall  never  clear  the  river  in  time;  and  if  the  dawn  catches  UH  in 
the  waters  of  the  Uetj'oit  we  are  lost  for  ever." 

*'  But  you  uee  I  am  not  (juite  prepare  yet,"  was  the  answer.    "  I  have  maqy 


i  ^  •  '"   ■ 


■i'k 


■f- 


■I 


I 

r 


I 


/ 


■l- 


;.:.  .:  .3    -f! 


WACOUSTA 


O  R 


THE     PROPHECY 


tings  to  get  ready  for  the  canoe,  which  I  haT«  not  use  for  a  loiip;  •times.  But 
you  shall  not  wait  ten  minute,  if  you  do  not  like.  Dere  is  »  jrood  fire,  and 
Babette  shall  give  you  some  ting  to  eat  while  T  get  it  all  ready." 

The  young  men  hesitated.  The  delayof  the  Canadian,  who  had  so  repeat- 
edly urged  the  necessity  for  expedition  while  in  the  fort,  had.  to  say  the  least 
'Of  it,  an  appearance  of  incongruity.  Still  it  was  evident  if  disposed  to  harm 
them  he  had  full  opportunity  to  do  so  without  much  risk  of  effectual  opposi- 
tion from  themselves.  Under  all  circumstances,  therefore,  it  <vas  advisable 
rather  to  appear' to  confide  implicitly  in  his  truth,  than,  by  manifesting  suspi- 
cion, to  pique  his  self-love,  and  neutralise,  whatever  favorable  intentions  he 
might  cherish  in  their  behalf.  In  this  mode  of  conduct  they  were  confirmed, 
by  a  recollection  of  the  sacredness  attached  b}'  the  religion  of  their  conductor 
Ito  the  oath  so  solemnl}'  pledge<i  on  the  symbol  of  the  cross,  and  by  a  convic- 
tion of  the  danger  of  observation  to  wliioh  they  stood  exposed,  if  as  they 
had  appreh«nded,  it  was  actually  a  human  footstep  they  had  hoard  in  the  or 
chard.     Thi.«j  fast  recollection  suggested  a  remark. 

"  We  heard  a  strange  sound  within  the  orchard,  while  waiting  here  for 
youi*  return,"  said  the  taller  officer ;  "  it  was  like  the  footstep  of  a  man  tread- 
ing cautiously  over  rotten  leaves  and  branches.     How  do  you  account  for  it?" 

."  Oh.  it  was-  my  pigs  "  replied  the  Canadian,  without  manifesting  the  slight- 
est uneasiness  at  thfe  information.  "  They  nra  about  in  de  orchard  for  de 
apples  what  blows  down  wid  de  wind." 

"  It  could  not  be  a  pig  we  heard,"  pursued  his  questioner ;  •'  but  another 
thing,  Franfois,  liefore  we  consent  to  enter  the  hut,— ^liow  will  you  account  to 
your  daughter  for  our  presence  ?  and  what  suspicion  may  she  not  form  at 
seeing  two  a'lucd  strangers  in  company  with  you  at  this  unseasonable  hour?" 

"  I  have  tell  her,"  replied  the  Canadian,  '  -dat  I  have  bring  tv/o  friends,  who 

f)  wid  me  in  de  canoe  to  shoot  de  ducks  for  two  tree  days.     You  know,  sir,, 
go  always  in  de  fall  to  kill  de  ducks  wid  my  friends,  and  she  will  not  tink 
it  strange." 

"  You  have  managed  well,  my  brave  fellow  "and  now  we  fnllo>^v  you  m 
confidence.  But  in  the  name  of  Heaven  use  all  possible  despatch,  and  if 
money  will  lend  a  sjiur  to  your  actions,  you  shall  have  plenty  of  it  when  our 
enterprise  has  been  accomj)1ished." 

Our  adv<'nturers  followed  their  conductor  in  the  track  by  which  he  had  so 
recently  rejoined  theni.  As  they  turned  the  corner  of  the  hut,  the  3'ounger, 
who  hroni^ht  up  the  rear,  fancied  he  again  heard  a  sound  in  the  direction  of 
the  orchard,  resembling  that  of  one  lightly  leaping  to  the  ground.  A  gust  of 
wind,  however,  passing  rapidly  at  the  moment  through  the  dense  foliage,  led 
him  to  believe  it  might  have  been  juoduced  by  the  sullen  fall  of  one  of  the 
heavy  fruits  it  had  dctachecl  in  its  course.  Unwilling  to  excite  new  and  un- 
neccs.sary  su.spicion  in  his  companion,  he  confined  the  circumstance  to  hisowt 
breast,  and  followod  into  tlu'  hut. 

After  ascending  a  tliijhl  of  about  a  dn/en  rude  steps,  they  fonml  themselveM 
in  a  small  room.  l"u  ':i'<i  -vilh  no  other  ceilinc:  tlian  the  .sloping  roof  itself, 
and  lighted  by  an  unwieldy  ivon  lanij).  placed  on  a  lieavj'  oak  table,  near  the 
only  window  with  which  the  apartment  was  provided.  The  latter  had  suf- 
fered much  from  tlto  influence  of  time  and  tcuqu'st;  and  owing  to  the  difliculty 
of  proou'ing  gla.ss  in  so  remote  a  region,  Imd  been  ]i:Uchcd  with  slips  of  paper 
in  various  parts;  Tlie  two  corner  and  lower  panes  of  the  bottom  sash  were 
out  altogether,  and  pine  shingles  such  as  are  u'cd  evrn  at  the  present  day  for 
CovcriUp,  the-roofs  of  dwelling  houses,  had  been  fitted  into  the  ,squares,  ex- 
cluding air  and  light  at  the  same  time.  The  centre  pane  of  this  tier  was, 
however,  clear  and  free  from  Haw  of  ev<Ty  dcM-ription.  Opposite  to  th"  win- 
dow bin /,cd  a  eheerfid  wood  fire,  recently  supplied  w'th  fuel;  and  at  one  of 
the  inner  corners  of  the  room  was  placed  a  low  uncurtained  bed,  that  ex- 
hibited marks  of  havitig  lau'n  Iain  in  Niiico  it  was  last  mode.    On  a  choir  at 

I  .  ■     -  ■ 


A  C  O  U  8  1  A 


OR,     THE     PROPHEOr 


■"Stif 


71 


its  side  wcre.heapotl  a  few  dtirk-looking  garments,  the  precise  natffffe  of  which 
were  not  tlistinjuishabie  at  a  cursory  jukI  distant  g;lance. 

Snch  vvere  the  more  remarkable  features  of  the  apartment  into  which  our 
adventurers  wei-e  now  ushered.  Both  looked  cautiously  around  on  entering, 
as  if  expocttng  to  find  it  tenanted  by  spirits  as  daring  as  their  own ;  but,  with 
the  exi  option  of  the  daughter  of  their  conductor,  whose  moist  black  eyes  ex- 
pressed, as  much  by  teaj-s  as  by  smiles,  the  joy  she  felt  at  this  unexpected  re- 
turn of  lier  parent,  no  living  object  met  their  enquiring  glance.  The  Cana- 
dian placed  a  coiiple  of  rush-bott.<nned  chairs  near  the  fire,  invited  his  com- 
panion* to  seat  themselves  until  he  hiul  completed  his  preparatious  for  depar- 
ture, and  then,  desiring  Babette  to  hasten  supper  for  the  young  hunters,  quit- 
ted the  room  and  descunded  the  stairs. 


fit 


t:,f 

»               '.    '■     '   ',■*■ 

%  • 


CHAPTER  XL 


■4.  "t^M 


i*; 


The  position  of  the  young  men  Avas  one  of  embarrassment ;  for  while  tho 
daughter,  who  was  busied  in  executing  the  command  of  her  father,  remained 
in  the  room,  it  was  impossible  they  could  converse  together  without  betray- 
ing the  secret  of  their  country,  and,  as  a  restilt  of  this,  the  falsehoo'lwif 
chaifcter  under  which  they  appeai-ed.  Long  residence  in  the  country  hi 
is  true,  rendered  the  patois  of  that  class  of  people  whom  they  personati 
miliar  to  one.  but  the  other  spoke  only  the  pure  and  native  language  of  w. 
it  was  a  corruption.  Tt  miuiht  have  occurred  to  them  at  a  cooler  moment,  flnd« 
under' less  critical  cii'cumstiinccs.  that,  even  if  their  disgui.se  had  been  pene-  ^ 
tratcd,  it  was  unlikely  a  female,  manifesting:  so  much  lively  aiiection  fbr  her 
parent,  woull  have;  done  aught  to  injure  those  with  whom  he  had  evidently 
connectecl  himself.  But  the  importance  attached  to  th^ir  entire  security  from 
danger  left  them  but  little  room  for  reflections  of  a  calmimr  (character,  while 
a  doubt  of  tliat  socuHty  remained. 

One  singularity  siiuck  tlnjin  both.  They  had  expected  the  young  woman, 
urged  by  a  natuial  cinno.sity,  would  have  commenced  a  conversation,  even  if 
they  did  not ;  and  he  who  Sf  ke  the  patois  was  prepared  to  sustain  it  as  well 
as  his  auxjous  and  overcharged  spirit  would  enable  jiim;  and  as  he  was  aware 
the  luorning  had  furni.shed  suflK-ient  ijicident  of  fearful  interest,  he  had  na- 
turally lookodfor  a  verbal  re-enactment  of  tho  harrowing  and  dreadful  scene. 
'I'o  tlit'ir  surpllRe,  however,  they  both  remaikcd  that,  far  from  evincing  a  de- 
sire to  enter  into  conversation,  khe  yomig  woman  scarcely  ever  looked  tt 
them  but  lingered  coustantly  near  the  table,  and  facing  the  window.  Still, 
to  avi)id  an  appiaiance  of  singularity  on  their  own  parts,  a;*  far  as  possible, 
the  iMder  of  the  oflicers  motioned  to  his  conii)anion.  who,  following  his  exam- 
ple, tool^  s,irtall  |>ipe  and  some  toba<'C()  from  a  compartment  in  his  shot 
pouch,  iiud  couniKMiced  pulling  the  wroaihiug  smoke  from  his  lips, — an  occu- 
pation, more  than  any  other,  seeming  to  justify  their  silence. 

The  elder  oilicer  ,«at  with  his  back  to  tlio  window,  and  iimnediately  in  front 
of  'he  liri';  his  companion,  at  a  corner  of  the  lude  hearth,  and  in  such  .\  man- 
n<;r  that,  without  turning  his  head,  he  could  command  eveiy  part  of  the  room 
at  n  giancf.  In  the  corner  facing  him  stood  the  bed  already  dusiTibed.  A 
faut  ray  of  liio-ligiit  fell  on  ><om(»  minute  object  glilt(,'ring  in  the  chair,  tho 
contents  of  which  were  heaped  up  imdi.sorder.  I'l-god  by  that  wayward  cu- 
riosity, which  is  sometimes  excited,  vVeu  under  cir<Miinsfances  of  the  greatest 
danirer  and  otluMwi.so  aVts< fbing  interest  tin-  young  man  kicked  the  liii-kory 
log  !hat  lay  nearest  fo  it  with  his  moi/i^simvl  foot  and  produced  a  bright 
rrackling  1lam<',  the  refle<'tion  of  w4uch  was;  thn^wn  entirely  upon  the  object 
of  hi<  gaze;  it  was  a  large  metal  bulttui.  on  which  the  number  of  his  rcsi- 
mew  W!UJ  distinctly  visible.     Ui^able  to  check  his  desire  to  know  furthori  b« 


u,';! 


V' 


I    r ' 


n 


W  A  O  O  C  8  T  A 


OR,     THB     PROPHKCV 


if    it 


•',k 


! 


-1'    • 


left  his  ^t.  to  examine  the  contents  of  the  chair.     As  he  moved  across  the 
room,  he  fancied  he  heard  a  lif;ht  sound  from  without ;  his  conjpanion,  also, 
seemed  to  manifest  a  similar  impression  hy  an  almost  imperceptible  start ;  but 
the  noise  was  so  momentary',  and  so  fanciful,  neither  felt  it  worth  his  while  to 
pause  upon  the  circumstance.     The  young  officer  now  raised  the  fj^arments  , 
from  the  chair :  they  consisted  of  a  small  grey  great-coat,  and  trowsers,  a 
waistcoat  of  coarse  white  cloth,  a  pair  of. worsted  stockings,  and  the  half' 
boot*!  of  a  bo}';  the  whole  forming  the  drum-boy's  erjuipment  worn  by  the 
wretched  Vvifc  ^f  Halloway  when  borne  senseless  into  tlic  hut  on  that  fatal 
morning.     Hastily  quitting  a  dress  that  called  up  so  many  dreadful  *rccolleo- 
tions.  and  turning  to  his  companion  with  a  look  that  denoted  apprehension, 
lest  he  too  should  have  beheld  these  melancholy  remembrances  of  the  harrow 
ing  scene,  the  young  officer  hastened  to  resume  his  seat.    In  the  act  of  so  doing,  ' 
Ills  eye  fell  upon  the  window,  at  which  the  female  still  lingered.     Had  a 
blast  from  heaven  struck  his  sight,  the  terror  of  his  soul  could  not  have  been 
greater.     He  felt  his  cheek  to  pale,  and  his  hair  to  bristle  beneath  his  cap,  • 
while  the  checked  blood  crept  slowly  and  coldly,  as  if  its  very  function  had  . 
been  paralysed ;,  still  he  had  presence  of  mind  sufficient  not  to  falter  in  his 
step,  or  to.  betray,  by  an  extraordinary  movement,  that  his  eye  hhd  rested  on 
anything  hateful  to  behold. 

His  companion  had  emptied  his  fti'st  pipe,  and  was  in  the  act  of  re-fllling 
it,  when  he  resumed  his  seat.  He  was  evidently  impatient  at  the  delay  of  the 
Quiadian,  and  already  were  his  lips  ready  to  give  utterance  to  his  disappoipt- 
wSnt,  when  he  felt  his  foot  significantly  pressed  by  that  of  his  friend.  An 
instinctive  sense  of  something  fearful  that  was  to  ensue,  but  still  demanding 
caiitio]!  on  his  part,  preve*-  -jd  him  from  turning  hastily  rouqd  to  know  the 
cause.  Satisfied,  however,  there  was  danger,  though  not  of  ah  instantaneous 
character,  he  i)ut  his  pipe  gentl}'^  by,  and  stealing  his  hand  under  his  coat, 
again  -grasped  the  hilt  of  his  dagger.  At  length  he  slowly  and  partially 
turned  his  heatl,  while  his  eyes  enquiringly  demanded  of*  his  friend'  the  cause 
of  this  alarm.  Partly  to  aid  in  concealing  his  incroasing  paleness,  and  partly 
with  a  view  to  render  it  a  medium  for  the  conveyance  of  subdued  sound,  the* 
hand  of  the  latter  was  raised  to  his  face  in  such  a  manner  that  the  motion  of 
his  lips  could  not  be  distinguished  from  behind. 

"  Wc  are  betrayed,"  he  scarcely  breathed.  ''  If  you  can  command  your- . 
self,  turn  and  look  at  the  window ;  but  for  God's  sake  arm  yourself  with 
resolution,  or  look  not  at  all :  llr4  draw  the  hood  over  yom-  head,  and 
without  any  ap])carance  of  design.  Our  only  chance  of  safety  lies  in  this, 
— that  the  Canadian  may  still  be  true,  and  that  our  disguise  iiiifPr  not  be  pene- 
trated." 

In  dewpife  of  his  native  courage, — and  this  had  often  been  put  to  honorable 
proof. -.*-he,  thus  mysteriously  addressed,  felt  his  heart  to  throb  violently. 
There  was  something  so  aj)palled  in  the  countenance  of  his  friend-— something 
so  alarming  in  t4ie  very  caution  he  liad  I'ecommended — that  a  vagn©  dread  of 
the  horriVde  reality  rushed  at  once  to  his  mind,  anil  for  a  moment  his  own 
cheek  became  ashy  pale,  and  his  breathing  piiinfully  oppressed.  It  wa.s  the 
natural  weakness  of  the  physical  man,  over  which  ihe  moral  faculties,  had^ 
for  an  instant,  lost  their  directing  power.  Speedily  lecovering  liim.<elf,  the 
young  man  prepared  to  encounter  tlie  alarming -objiTt  which  luul  already  so 
ereatly  intijni<late<l  his  friend.  Oardully  drawing  ihe  blanket  hood  over  his 
head,  h'j  rose  from  l»i''<  si*!^t.  and.  with  the  energetic  movement  of  erne  who  has 
formed  some  desperate  d('teiniinati()ii,ntuiniKl  his  back  to  (lie  lire-place,  and 
threw  his  eyes  rapidly  and  eagei'ly  upon  the  window.  Thay  fell  only  on  th« 
rude  patchwork  of  which  it  was  principally  composed.  The  female  had  quitted  ■ 
ihe  room. 

"You  must  huve  been  deceived,"  he  whisjwred,  keeping  his  eye  still  bont 
npon  the  window,  and  with  so  imperceptible  a  movement  of  the  lips  that 


y 


%f 


i^: 


I  of 


.'  so 


WACOUSTA 


OR,     THK     PROPHECY 


n 


sound  alone  ccfuid  have  bctniyed  that  he  was  speaking^ — "T  see  nothing  to 
justify  your  alarm.     Look  again.'* 

.  The  youHg'r  olficer  once  more  directed  his  glance  towards  the  window,- 
Hnd  with  a  shudderin;.;  of  the  whole  person,  as  he  recollected  what  had  met 
his  eye  when  ln'  last  looked  upon  it.  ."  It  is  no  longer  there,  indeed,"  he 
returned  in  the  sanio  scarcely  audible  tone.  "  Yet  I  could  not  be  mistaken  ; 
it  wart  hL'tueen  those  two  corner  s(iuares  of  wood  in  the  lower  sash." 

'■  Perhaps  it  was  merely  a  reflection  produced  by  the  lamp  on  the  centre 
pane,"  rejoined  his  friend,  still  keeping  his  eye  riveted  on  the  suspicious  point. 
"  Impossib''  !  but  I  will  examine  the  window  from  the  sp)t  on  which  I  stood 
when  I  lirst  beheld  it." 

Ai^ain  he  quitted  his  seat,  and  carelessly  crossed  the  room.  As  he  returned 
he  thr-jw  his  glance  upon  the  pane,  when,  to  his  infinite  horror  and  surprise 
the  same;  fiiii,htfiil  vision  presented  itself. 

•'  God  of  hoavon  !*  he  excLiimed -aloud,  and  unable  longer  to  check  the 
ebullition  of  his  ft-elings,*- " what  means  this?  I9  my  brain  turned ?  and  am 
I  the  spoi-t  of  niv  own  delusive  fancy — Do  you  not  see  it  noic?" 

No  answer  was  returned.  His  friend  stood  mute  and  motionless,  with  his 
left  hand  grasping  his  gun,  and  his  right  thrust  into  the  waist  of  his  coat. 
His  eye  grew  upon  the  window,  and  his  chest  heaved,  and  his  cheek  paled 
and  flushed  nlternatelj'^  with  the  subdued  emotion  of  his  heart.."  A  human 
face  wsis  placed  close  to  the  unblemished  glass,  and  every  feature  was  dis- 
tuictly  revealed  by  the  lamp  that  still  lay  upon  the  table.  The  glaring  eye 
wa,*?  fixed  on  the  taller  of  the  officers ;  but  though  the  expression  was  un- 
fathomably'  guileful,  there  was  nothing  that  denoted  anything  like  a  recogiii-  " 
tion  of  tlie  party.  The  brightness  of  the  wood  fire  had  so  far  subsided  as  to 
throw  the  interior  of  the  room  into  partial  obscurity,  and  under  the  disguise 
of  his  hood  it  was  impossible  for  one  without  to  distinguish  the  fcatiu"es  of 
the  taller  officer.  The  yomiger,  who  was  scarcely  an  object  of  atte  ition. 
passed  comparatively  unnoticed.  , 

Fati.uued  and  dimned  with  the  long  and  eager  tension  of  its  nerves,  the  eye 
of  the  latter  now  began  to  fail  hiifi.  For  a  moment  he  closed  it ;  and  when 
again  it  fell  upon  the  window,  it  encountered  nothing  but  the  clear  and  glit- 
tering pane.  For  upwards  of  a  minute  he*and  his  friend  still  continued  to 
rivet  their  gaze,  btit  the  face  was  no  longer  visible. 

Why, is  it  that  what  is  called  the  "  human  faee  divine,"  is  sometimes  gifted 
with  a  power  to  i)aralyse,  that  tlie  most  loathsome  reptile  in  the  creation  can- 
not attain  ?  Had  a  c(]^igar  of  the  American  forest,  roaring  for  prey,  appeared 
at  the  window,  ready  to  biu'st  the  fragile  barrier,  and  fasten  its  talons  in  their 
heai'ts.  its  presence  would  not  have  struck  sucli  sickness  to  the  souls  of  our 
adventm'ers  as  did  that  human  fsvee.  It  is,  that  man,  naturally  fierce  and  in- 
exorable, is  alone  the  enemy  of  his  own  species.  The  solution  "of  this  pro- 
blem— this  glorious  paradox  in  nature,  we  leave  to  profounder  philosophers 
to  resolve.     Sufficient  for  us  be  it  to  know  and  to  deplore  that  it  is  so. 

Footsk'jis  were  now  hoard  upon  the  stairs;  and  the  oflioers.  aroused  to  a 
full  scn.se  of  their  ilnnger,  h.lstily  and  silently  prepared  thetuselves  for  the  en- 
counter. ''  Dropja  bullet  into  your  gun."  whispered  the  elder,  setting  the  ex- 
ample himself.  ••  \Vi'  may  lie  obiijred  to  hnVe  rerour.se  t.)  it  at  last.  Yet^ 
make  no  show  of  hostility  unlc^ss  circumstances  satisfy  us  we  are  betrayed  | 
then,  indeed,  all  that  remains  for  us  will  be  to  sell  our  lives  as  dearly  as  we  / 
can.     Hist  I  he  is  here."  »  '     . 

Tlio.door  opened !  and  at  the  entrance,  which  was  already  filled  up  in  the 
imaginations  of  the  young  men  with  a  terrible  and  alarming  figure,  appeared 
one  whose  return  had  been  an.xiously  and  long  dcv^ired.  It  was  a  relief,  in- 
deed, to  their  gallant  but  e.xciled  hearts  to  behold  another  than  the  form  they 
had  expected;  and  althoivjh,  for  the  mome'tt,  they  knew  not  whether  the 
Canadian  came  in  hof-.tility  or  friendship,  each  (juitted  the  attitude  of  caution 
into  which  he  had  thrown  himself,  and  met  hiin>  midwav  ui  his  pas.sage  through 


*" 


kM' 


m^^l 


74 


WAC0U8TA 


O  R 


IHE  PROPHECY, 


U-l\ 


B 


I 

the  room.  There  was  nothing  iu  the  expression  of  his  naturall  y  opai  and 
good-humored  countenance  to  denote  he  was  at  all  aware  of  the  causes  for 
iJarm  that  had  operated  so  powerfully  upon  *hemselves.'  He  annoimced  with 
a  frank  look  and  unfaltering  voice  everything  was  in  readiness  for  their  de- 
parture. 

,  The  officers  hesitated ;  and  the  taller  fixed  his  eyes  upon  those  of  mine 
host,  as  if  his  gaze  would  have  penetrated  to  the  innermost  recesses  of  hia 
heart.  Could  this  be  a  refinement  of  treachery  ?  and  was  ho  really  ignorant 
of  the  existence  of  the  danger  which  threatened  them  ?  Was  it  not  more  pro- 
bable his  object  was  to  disarm  tJieir  fears,  that  they  might  be  given  unpre- 
pared and,  therefore,  unresisting  victims  to  the  ferocity  of  their  enemies? 
Aware  as  he  was,  that  they  were  both  well  provided  with  arms,  and  fully  de- 
termined to  use  them  with  effect,  might  not  his  aim  be  to  decoy  them  to  de- 
struction without,  lest  the  blood  spilt  under  his  roof^  in  the  desperation  of 
their  defence,  should  hereafter  attest  against  him,  and  expose  him  to  the  pun^ 
ishment  he  would  so  ^iclUy  merit  ?  Pistracted  by  these  dbubts,  the  young 
men  scarcely  knew  what  to  think  or  how  to  act;  and  anxious  as  they  had 
previously  been  to  quit  the  hut,  they  now  considered  the  moment  of  their 
doing  so  would  he  that  of  their  destruction.  The  importance  of  the  enterprise 
on  which  they  were  cnibarjved  was  such  as  to  sink  all  personal  considerations. 
If  they  had  felt  the  influence  of  intimidation  on  their  spirits,  it  arose  less  from 
any  apprehension  of  consequences  to  themselves,  than  from  the  recollection  •of. 
the  dearer  interests  involved  in  their  perfect  security  froift  discovery. 

"Francois,"  feelingly  urged  the  taller  officer,  again  adverting  to  his  vow, 
'*  you  recollect  the  oath  you  solemnly  pledged  upon  the  cross  of  our  Saviour. 
Tell  me,  then,  as  you  hope  ibr  Inercy,  have  you  taken  that  oath  only  that  you 
might  the  more  securely  betray  us  to  our  enenjies?  What  connection  have 
yo3l  \vith  them  at  this  moment  ?  and  who  is  he  who  stood  looking  through 
that  window  not  ten  minutes  since  ?" 

"  As  I  shall  hope  for  mercy  in  my  God,"  exclaimed  the  Canadian  with  un- 
feigned astonishment,  "  I  have  not  see  nobody.  But  what  for  do  you  tink  so  1 
tl  is  not  just.     1  have  given  my  oat  to  serve  jou,  and  I  shall  do  it." 

There  was  candor  both  in  the  tone  and- countenance  of  the  man  as  he  utter- 
ed these  words,  half  in  reproach,  half  in  justification ;  and  the  ofiicers  no 
longer  doubted.  # 

''  You  must,  forgive  our  suspicions  at  a  moment  like  the  present,"  soothiijgly 
observed  the  younger ;  '"yet,  Francois,  your  daughter  saw  and  exchanged  sig- 
nals with  the  person  wo  me<in.  She  left  the  room  soon  after  he  made  his  ap- 
pearance.    What  has  become  of  her?"  x, 

The  Canadian  gave  a  sudden  start,  looked  hastily  arouijd,  and  seemed  to 
perceive  for  the  first  time  the  girl  was  absent.  He  then  put"  a  finger  to  his  lip 
to  vnjoiu  silence,  advanced  to  the  table  and  extinguished  the  light.  Desiring 
his  (^uiqnmions.  in  a  low  \vhisj)or,  to  tread  cautiously  and  follow,  he  now  led 
the  way  with  almost  noiseless  stop  to  the  entrance  of  t^ie  hut.  At  the  threshold 
of  the  door  were  placed  a  large  ami  well-filled  sack,  a  light  mast  and  sail,  and 
half  :v  (lozon  jiadtiltv-^.  The  hitter  b;u-(lon  he  divided  l)etween  the  officers,  on 
whoso  shoulders  he  carefully  balanco<^  them.  .The  sack  he  throw  across  his 
own  :  and.  without  expressing  even  a  r.'gret  that  an  opportunity  of  bidding 
adieu  to  his  child  ^vas  doniodhim.  hastily  skirted  the  palmg  of  the  orcharij 
until,  at  the  further  extremity,  he  had  gained  the  high  road.  The  heavens 
were  ob.^cured  by  passing  clouds  driven  rapidly  by  the  wind,  during  the  short 
pauses  of  which  our  adventurers  anxiously  und  frcq)ientty  turne<l  to  listen  if 
they  were  pursued.  Save  the  rustling  of  the  trees  that'  lined  the  road,  and 
the  slight  dashing  of  the  waters  on  the  boach,  however,  no  sound  was  dis- 
tinguishable. At  length  they  gained  the  point  whence  they  wereto  start.  It 
was  the  fatal  bridge-,  the  events  connected  with  which  were  yet  so  painfully 
fresh  in, their  recoIkH:tion. 

"  Stop  one  minutes  here,"  whispered  the  Canadian,  tlirOTring  his  sack  iqwo 


■'I 


-:^Q 


icavens 
short 
!tou  if 
ad,  and 
as  dis- 
art.  It 
uufully 

kupon 


WACOU8TA 


OR,     THE      PROPHBCY. 


7S 


the  sand  near  the  mouth  of  the  lesser  river ;  •'  my  canoe  is  chain  about  twenty 
yards  up  de  bridge.  T  shall  come  to  you  diri-'ctly."  Then  cautioning  the  o& 
fleers  to  keep  themselves  conw^aled  under  the  bridjre.  he  moved  hastily  under 
the  arch,  and  disappeared  in  the  dark  shadow  which  it  threw  across  the  rivulet. 

The  extremities  of  the  l)rids:re  rested  on  the  banks  of  the  little  river  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  leave  a  narrow  passage  along  the  sands  immediately  under  the 
declination  of  the  arch.  In  accordance  with  the  caution  of  their  conductor,  the 
officers  had  placed  tlfemselves  under  it :  and  with  their  backs  slightly  bent 
forward  to  meet  the  curvature  of  t'he  bridj^e.  so  that  no  ray  of  light  could  pass 
between  their  bodies  and  the  fabric  itself,  now  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  vessel 
on  which  their  only  hope  deponded.  "We  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  their 
feelings  on  finding  themselves,  at  that  lone  hour  of  the  night,  im^iediately  un- 
der a  spot  rendered  fearfully  memorable  by  the  tragic  occurrences  of  the 
morning.  The  terrible  pursuit  of. the  fugitive,  the  execiftion  of  the  so't>ier,  the 
curse  and  prophecy  of  his  inariiuc  wife,  and,  above  all,  the  forcible  abduction 
and  threatened' espousal  of  that  unhappy  woman  by  the  formidabje  being  who 
seemed  to  have  identified  himself  with  the  evils  with  which  they  stood  menaced, 
— all  rushed  with  rapid  tracery  on  the  mind,  and  excited  the  imagination,  un- 
til each,  filled  with  a  sentiment  not  imallied  to  superstitious  awe,  feared  to 
whisper  forth  his  thoughts,  lest  in  so  doing  he  should  invoke  the  presence  of 
those  who  had  principally  figured  in  the  harrowing  and  revolting  scene. 

"  Did  you  not  hear  a  noi'^e  ?"  at  length  whispered  the  elder,  as  he  leaned 
himself  foi-ward.  and  bent  his  head  to  the  sand,  to  catch  more  distinctly  a 
.repetition  of  the  sound. 

"  I  did';  there  again  !  It  is  upon  the  bridge,  and  not  unlike  the  step  ofiiDne 
endeavoring  to  tread  lightly.     It  may  be  some  wild  beast,  however." 

"  We  must  not  be  taken  by  surprise."returned  his  companion.  "If  it  be 
a  man,  the  wary  tread  indicates  consciousness  of  our  presence.  If  an  animal, 
there  can  be  no  harm  in  setting  onr  fears  at  rest.^'  Cautiously  stealing  from 
his  lurking-place,  the  young  officer  cmeiged  into  the  open  sands,  and  in  a 
few  measured  noiseless  strides  gained  the  extremit}^  of  the  bridge.  The  dark 
shadow  of  something  upon  its  centre  caught  his  eye,  and  a  low  sound  like 
that  of  a  dog  lapping  met  his, oar.  While  his  ga/,e  yet  lingered  on  the  shape- 
less object,  endeavoring  to  give  it  a  character,  the  clouds  which  had  .so  long 
obscured  it  passed  niomontarily  from  before  the  moon,  and  disclosed  the  ap- 
palling truth.  It  was  a  nolf-dog  lapping  up  from  the  earth,  in  which  they 
were  encrusted,  the  blood  and  brains  of  the  unfoi-tunate  Frank  Ilallo^^a}'. 

Sick  and  faint  at  the  disgusting  sight,  the  3'oung  man  rested  his  elbow  on 
the  railing  that  passed  along  the  edge  of  the  bridge,  and.  leaning  his  head  on 
his  hand  jFor  a  ntoment,  forgot  the  risk  of  ex])osure  he  incurred,  in  the  in- 
tenseness  of  the  sorrow  that  assailed  his  soul.  His  heart  and  imagination 
were  already  far  from  the\spot  on  which  he  stood,  when  he  felt  an  iron  hand 
upon  his  shoulder.     He  turned,  shuddering  with  an  instinctive  knowledge  of 


his  vet  unseen  visitant,  and 


beheld  standing  over 


him  the  terrible  warrior  of 


the  Fleur  de  Lis.  • 

"  Ila,  ha,  ha  !"  laughed  the  savage,  in  a  low  triumphant  tone,  "  the  place  of 
our  meeting  is  well  timed,  though  somewhat  singular,  it  must  be  confessed. 
Nay,"  he  fiercely  added,  grasping  as  in  a  vice  the  arm  that  was  already  lifted 
to  strike  him,  ''  force  me  not  to  annihilat)j  you  on  tlj^  spot.  Ila !  hear  you  the 
cry  of  my  wolf-dog?"  as  that  animal  now  set-up  a  low  but  fearful  howl ;  "  it 
•s-for  your  blood  he. asks,  l)ut  your  hour  is  not  yet  come." 

"  No,  by  heavelT,  it  is  not ;"  exclaimed  a  voice  ;  a  rapid  and  rushing  sweep' 
was  heard  through  the  air  for  an  insta>it.  and  then  a  report  like  a  stunning 
blow.  The  warrior  released  his  grasp — placed  his  hand  upon  his  tomahawk, 
but  without  strength  to  remove  it  fi4)m  liis  belt  tottered  a  pace  or  two  back- 
wards— and  then  fell,  uttering  tt  cry  of  mingled  pain  and  disappointment,  at 
his  length  upon  the  earth.  '  Quick,  quick  to  )our  cover!"  exclaimed  the 
young  officer  as  «  '-♦ud  shor*.  was  now  heard  from  the  forest  id  reply  to  the 


■J.       «N'. 

mi 

mi 

■  SI 

•  M 


IS 

v-  .'■ 


'  i^l^M 


^'1 


Si 


•  ■ '  i 


i-v ' '' 


v*^,iij 


76 


WA^COU&fA;      3K,      TH.B      PROPHECIi 


yell  of  the  failcn  warrior.  "  If  Francois  come  not,  we  are  lost :  the  howl  of 
that  wolf-dog  alone  will  betray  us,  even  if  his  master  should  he  heyond>alI 
chance  of  recovery."  « 

"  Desperate  diseases  require  desperate  remedies,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  there  is 
little  glory  in  destroying  a  helpless  enemy,  but  the  necessity  is  urgent,  and 
we  must  IcaTe  nothing  to  rhaiuo."  As  he  spoke,  he  knelt  upon  the  hugo 
form  of  the  senseless  wariior,  wliuso  scalping  knife  he  drew  from  its  sheath, 
ai^  striking  a  firm  and  stwuly  blow,  quitted  not  the  weapon  until  he  felt  his 
hand  reposing  on  the  chest  of  liis  fueniy.  The  howl  of  the  wolf-dog,  whose 
eyes  glared  like  two  burning  coals  through  the  surrounding  gloom,  was  now 
exchanged  to  a  fierce  and  snappish  bark.  He  made  a  leap  at  the  officer  while 
in  the  act  of  rising  from  the  body ;  but  his  fangs  fastened  only  in  the  chest 
of  the  shaggy  coat  A^ihich  he  wrung  with  the  strength  and  fury  characteristit  • 
of  his  peculiar  species.  This  new  and  ferocious  attack  was  fraught  with  dan 
ger  little  inferior  to  that  which  they  had  just  escaped,  and  required  the  ut 
most  yromjAitude  of  action.  The  young  man  seized  the  brute  behind  tb  j 
neck  in  a  firm  and  vigorous  grasp,  while  he  stooped  upon  the  motionless  fon  a 
oveT  which  this  novel  struggle  was  maintained,  and  succeeded  in  making  hiiui- 
self  once  more  master  of  the  scalping  knife.  Half  choked  by  the  hand  thit 
unflinchingly  grappled  with  him,  the  savage  animal  quitted  his  hold  and  strng- 
gleci  violently  to  free  himself.  This  was  the  critical  moment.  The  officer 
drew  the  heavy  sharp  blade,  from  the  handle  to  the  point,  across  the  thi  oat 
of  the  infuriated  beast,  with  a  force  that  divided  the  principal  artery.  He 
made  a  desperate  leap  upwards,  spouting  his  blood  over  his  destroyei ,  and 
then  fell  gasping  across  the  body  of  his  master.  A  low  growl,  interujir.gled 
with  faint  attempts  to  bark,  which  the  rapidly  oozing  life  rendered  roowj  and 
more  indistinct,  succeeded  ;  and  at  length  nothing  but  a  gurgling  soDud  was 
distinguishable. 

Meanwhile  the  anxious  and  harassed  officers  had  regained  their  place  of 
concealment  under  the  bridge,  where  they  listened  with  suppressed  breathing 
for  the  slightest  sound  to  indicate  the  approach  of  the  canoe.  At  intervals 
they  fancied  they  could  hear  a  noise  resembling  the  rippling  of  wj,'A;r  against 
the  prow  of  a  light  vessel,  but  the  swelling  cries  of  a  band  of  Indijjjs,  becom- 
ing at  every  instant  more  distinct,  were  too  unceasingly  kept  up  to  admit  of 
their  judging  with  accuracy.  * 

They  now  began  to  give  themselves  up  for  lost,  and  many  and  bitter  were 
the  curses  they  inwardly  bestowed  on  the  Canadian,  when  the  outline  of  a 
human  form  was  seen  advancing  along  the  sands,  and  a  dark  object  upon  the 
water.  It  was  their  conductor,  dragging  the  canoe  along,  with  aJi  the  strength 
and  activity  of  which  he  was  capable.  '  - 

"  What  the  devil  have  you  been  about  all  this  this  time  Fran9ois  ?"  ex- 
claimed the  taller  officer,  as  he  bounded  to  meet  him.  ^'  Qu/':k,  quick,  or  we 
shall  be  too  late.  Hear  you  not  the  blood-hounds  on  theii  scent  ?"  Then 
seizing  the  chain  in  his  hand,  with  a  powerful  eflbrt  he  ser^t  the  candfe  flyiilg 
through  the  arch  to  the  very  entrance  of  the  river.  The  hardens  that  had 
been  deposited  on  the  sands  were  hastily  flung  in,  the  oflire?.-,  stepping  lightly 
after.  The  Canadian  took  the  helm,  directing  the  frail  lio^f.el  almost  noise- 
lessly through  the  watcr^  and  with  such  velocity,  th;i  when  the  cry  of,  the 
disappointed  savages  was  heard  resounding  from  the  ljiUigc,it  had  aUreAdy 
gained  the  centre  of  the  Detroit.  ^  . 


m 


CHAPTER  xn. 

Two  days  had  succeeded  the  departure  of  the  officers  from  the  fort,  but 
unproductive  of  any  event  of  importance.     About  daybreak,  however,  on  tbt 


.    \ 


WACOlfSTA;      OR,     THK      PROPHECY 


T7 


morning  of  thu  third,  the  Ivanissed  garrison  were  once  fnore  summoned  to 
arms  by  an  alarm  from  tho  sontincls  planted  in  rear  of  the  works:  a  bod}'  of 
[ndians  they  had  tracwl  and  lost  at  intervals,  as  thpy  wound  along  the  skirt 
of  the  forest,  in  their  proj^iess  from  their  encampment,  were  »t  length  devel- 
oping themselves  in  fon-e  near  the  bomb-proof.  With  a  readiness  which  long 
experience  and  watchfulness  had  rendered  in  some  degree  Jiabitual  to  them, 
the  troops  flew  to  th.eir  rospcc-tive  posts;  while  a  few  of  the  saiior  ofllicers, 
among  whom  was  the  goveinor." hastened  to  the  ramparts  to  reconnoiti'e  the 
.strength  and  purpose  of  their  enemies.  It  was  evident  that  the  view.^  of  these 
Avcre  not  immediately  hostile ;  for  neither  were  they  in  their  war  paint,  nor 
were  their  armfi  of  a  description  to  carry  intimidation  to  a  disciplined  and 
fortifiod  soldiery.  Bows,  airows.  tomahawks,  war  clubs,  spears,  and  scalping 
knives,  constituted  their  warlike  equipments,  but  neither  rifle  nor  fire-arms 
of  any  kind  were  discernible.  Severn!  of  their  leaders,  distinguishable  by  a 
certain  haughty  carriage  and  commanding  gesticulation,  were  collected  within 
the  efevated  bomb-proof  appai-ently  holding  a  short  but  important  conferencie 
apart  from  their  people  most  of  whom  stood  or  lay  in  picturesque  attitudes' 
around  tlie  ndn.  These  also  had  a  directing  spirit.  A  tall  and  noble  looking 
warrior,  wearing  a  deer  skin  hunting  frock  closely  girded  around  his  loins 
appeared  to  command  the  iloference  of  his  colleagues,  claiming  profound  at- 
tention when  he  spoke  hiuisrif  and  inanifesting  his  assent  or  dissent  to  t!*e 
apparently  expressed  opinions  of  the  lesser  chiefs  merely  by  a  slight  move 
ment  of  the  head. 

'•  There  he  is  indeed !"  exclaimed  Captain  Eiskine,  speaking  as  one  who 
communes  with  his  own  thoughts,  while  h6  kept  his  telescope  levelled  on  the 
form  of  the  last  warrior:  ''  looking  just  as  noble  as  when,  three  j'^ears  ago,  he 
"opposed  himself  to  the  progress  of  the  fii-st  English  detachment  that  had  ever 
penetrated  to  this  part  of  the  world.  What  a  pity  such  a  fine  fellow  should 
be  so  desperate  and  determined  an  enemy !" 

"  True :  you  were  with  Major  Rogers  on  that  expedition."  observed  the  go- 
vernor, "1  haye  often  heard  him  speak  of  it^  You  had  many  dilTKMil ties  to 
contend  against,  if  I  recollect."  "  We  had  indeed,  sir."  returned  the  fiank- 
hearted  Erskine,  dropping  the  glass  from  his  eye.  •'  So  Tuany,  ni  fact,  that 
more  than  once,  in  the  course  of  our  progros.-;  through  the  wiiderness,  did  1 
wish  myself  at  hoad-quarters  with  my  company.  Never  *ihall  I  forp'ot  the 
prou,'  and  determined  expression  of  Ponteac's  countenance,  when  he.  told  Ro- 
gers, in  his  figurative  laniiuage.  '  he  stood  in  the  path  in  which  he  travelled.'" 

"  Thank  heaven,  he  at  least  stands  not  in  the  path  in  which  others  travel." 
musingly  rejoined  tlie  governor.  *'  But  what  sudden  movement  is  that  with- 
in Ihe  ruin  ?" 

■'The  Indians  are  preparing  to  show  a  white  flag."  .sliouted  an  artillery  man 
/rom  his  station  in  one  of  the  embrasures  below. 

The  governor  and  hisotticers  received  this  intelligence  without  surprise:  the 
former  took  the  glass  from  Captain  Erskine.  and  coolly  raised  it  to  his  eye. 
Tlie  consultation  had  ceased  ;  and  the  several  chiefs,  were  now  seen  quitting 
the  bomb-proof  to  join  their  respectives  tribes.  One  of  those  remained,  . 
sprang  upon  an  elevated  fragment  of  the  niin.  and  uttered  a  prolonged  cry, 
the  purport  of  which, — and  it  was  fully  understood  from  its  peculiar  nature, 
— was  to  claim  attention  from  the  fort.  He  then  received  from  the  hand*  of 
the  other  chief  a  long  spear,  to  the  end  of  which  was  attached  a  piece  of  white 
linen.  This  he  waved  several  times  above  his  head  ;  then  stuck  the  barb  ot^ 
the  spear  firmly  into  the  projecting  fragment.  Quitting  hia  elevated  station 
he  next  stood  at  the  side  oT  the  Ottawa  chief,  who  had  already  assumed  the 
air  and  attitude  of  one  waiting  to  observe  in  what  manner  his  signal  would 
be  received. 

"  A  flag  of  truce  in  all  its  bearings,  by  Jupiter !"  remarked  Captain  Erskine. 
*  Ponteac  seems  to  have  ac(|uii-ert  m,  few  les.sons  since  we  first  met." 

" This  is   evidently   the  suj^.snon  of  some  European,"  obsened    Major 


^ 


J- 


H"    I 


M 


■  (i 


I! 


78 


waoousta;    or,    the    prophecy, 


>1\ 


mm 


Black  water;   "for  how  could  he  understand  anything  of  the-  i;  'uif  oft 
white  flag  ?    Some  of  these  vile  spies  have  put  him  up  to  this." 

"True  enough,  Blackwatcr;  and  they  appear  to  have  found  ai-  .tci'igent 
pupil,"  observed  Captain  \Vent\vorth.  "  I  was  curious  to  know;  how  ho  would 
make  the  attempt  to  approach  us ;  but  certainly  never  once  dreamt  of  h.li 
having  recoin-so  to  so  civilized  a/mcthod.  Their  plot  works  well,  no  doubt ; 
still  we  have  the  countt-r-plot  to  offppose  to  it.l' 

"  We  must  foil  them  with  their  own  weapons,"  remarked  the  governor, 
' "  even  if  it  be  only  with  a  view  to  gain  time.  Wentworth,  desire  one  of  your 
bombilt'dicrs  to  hoist  the  French  flag  on  the  staff."  The  order  was  promptly 
obeyed.  The  Indians  made  a  simultaneous  movement  expressive  of  their  sa- 
tisfaction ;  and  in  the  course  of  a  minute,  the  tall  warrior,  accompanied  by 
nearly  a  dozen  inferior  chiefs,  was  seen  slowly  advancing  across  the  common 
towards  the  group  of  officers.  \ 

"  What  gfenerous  confidence  the  *  ellow  has  for  an  Indian !"  observed  Captain 
Erskine,  who  could  not  dissemble  his  admiration  of  the  warrior.  "  He  steps 
as  firmly  and  as  proudly  within  reach  of  our  muskets,  as  if  he  was  leading  in 
the  war-dance." 

"  How  strange,"  mu%d  Captain  Blessington,  "  that  one  who  meditates  so 
deep  a  treachery,  should  have  no  .apprehension  of  it  in  others !" 

"  It  is  a  compliment  to  the  honor  of  our  flag,"  observed  the  governor 
'^  which  it  must  be  our  interest  to  encourage.  If,  as  you  say,  Erskine,  the  man 
is  really  endowed  with  generosity,  the  result  of  this  affair  will  assuredly  call 
it  forth." 

"  If  it  prove  otherwise,  sir,"  was  the  reply,  "  we  must  only  attribute  hi9 
perseverance  to  thq  influence  which  that  terrible  warrior  of  the  Fleur  de  Lii: 
is  said  to  exercise  over  his  better  feelings.  By  the  by,  I  see  nothing  of  him 
among  this  flag  of  truce  party.  It  could  scarcely  be  <»lled  a  violation  of  faith 
to  cut  off  such*  a  rascally  renegade.  Were  he  of  the  number  of  those  ad- 
vancing,  and  Valletort's  rifle  within  my  reach,  I  know  not  what  use  I  might 
not  be  tepipted  to  make  of  the  last." 

Poor  Erskine  was  singularly  infelicitous  in  touching,  and  ever  unconsciously, 
on  a  subject  sure  to  give  pain  to  more  than  one  of  his  brother  ofiBcers.  A 
cloud  passed  over  the  brow  of  the  governor,  but  it  was  one  that  originated 
more  in  sorrow  than  in  anger.  Neither  had  he  time  to  hnger  on  the  painful 
recollections  hastily  and  confusedly  called  tip  by  the  allusion  made  to  this  for- 
midable and  mysterious  being,  for  the  attention  of  all  was  now  absorbed  by 
the  approaching  Indians.  With  a  bold  and  confiding  carriage  the  fierce  Pon- 
Ikcac  moved"  at  the  head  of  his  little  party,  nor  hesitated  one  moment  in  his 
course  until  he  got  wear  the  brink  of  the  ditch,  and  stood  face  to  face  with  the 
governor,  at  a  distance  that  gave  both  parties  not  only  the  facility  of -tracing 
the  expression  of  each  other's  features',  but  of  conversing  without  effort. 
There  he  made  a  sudden  stand,  and  thrusting  his  spear  into  the  earth,  as- 
sumed an  attitude  as  devoid  of  apprehension  as  if  he  had  been  in  the  heart  of 
his  own  encampment. 

''  My  father  has  understood  my  sign,"  said  the  haughty  chief.  The  war- 
riors qf  a  dozen,  tribes  are  far  behind  the  path  the  Ottawa  chief  has  just 
travelled  ;  but  when  the  red  skin  comA;  unarmed,  the  hand  of  the  Saganaw 
is 'tied  behind  his  back." 

"  The  strong  hold  of  the  Saganaw  is  his  safeguard,"  replied  the  governor, 
adopting  the  lahguage  of  the  Indian.  "  When  the  enemies  of  liis  great  father 
come  in  strength,  he  knows  how  to  disperse  them ;  but  when  a  warrior  throws 
himself  unarmed  into  his  power,  he  respects  his  confidence,  and  his  arms  hang 
rusting  at  his  side." 

"  The  talk  of  iny  father  is  big,"  replied  the  warrior,  with  a  scornful  expres- 
sion that  seemed  to  doubt  the  fact  of  so  much  indifference  as  to  himself;  ^  but 
when  it  is  a  great  chief  who  directs  the  natio^,  and  that  chief  his  sworn  ene* 
my,  he  temptation  to  the  Saganaw  may  be  strilig." 


^.^^■ 


wacousta;  or,  the  prophecy. 


n 


as- 


"  The  Saganaw  is  without  fear."  emphatically  rejoined  the  goT^mor ;  "  he 
ia  strong  in  his  own  honor ;  and  he  would  rather  die  under  the  tomahawk  of 
the  red  skin,  than  procure  a  peace  by  an  act  of  treachery.^' 

The  Indian  paused ;  cold,  calm  looks  of  intelligence  passed  between  him 
and  his  followers,  and  a  few  indistini^t  and  guttural  sentences  were  exchanged 
among  themselves. 

"  But  our  father  asks  not  why  our  mocassins  have  Jbrushcd  the  dew  from 
off  the  common,"  resumed  the  chief ;  ''  and  yet  it  is  long  since  the  Sagsfnaw  and 
the  red  skin  have  spoken  to  each  other,  except  through  the  war  whoop.     My' 
frfther  must  wonder  to  see  the  great  chief  of  the  Ottawas  without  the  }iatchet& 
in  his  hand.**  * 

"  The  halbhet  often  wounds  those  who  use  it  unskilful!)',"  camly  returned 
the  governor.  "The  Saganaw  is  not  blind.  The  Ottawas  and  the  other 
tribes  find  the  war  paint  heavy  on  their  skins.  They  see  that  my  }'0ung  men 
are  not  to  be  conquered,  and  they  have  sent  the  great  head  of  ail  the  nations 
to  sue  for  peace." 

In  spite  pf  the  habitual  reserve  and  self-possession  of  his  race,  the  haughty 
warrior  could  not  repress  a  movement  of  impatience  at  the  bold  and  daunting 
language  of  his  enemy,  and  for  a  moment  there  was  a  fire  in  his  eye  that  told 
how  willingly  he  would  have  washed  away  the  insult  in  his  blood.  The  same 
low  guttural  exclamations  that  previously  escaped  their  lips,  marked  the  sense 
entertained  of  the  remark  by  his  companions. 

"  My  father  is  right,"  pursued  the  diief,  resuming  his  self-command  ;  "  the 
Ottawas  and  the  other  tribes  ask  for  peace,  but  not  because  they  are  afraid 
of  war.  When  they  strike  the  hatchet  into  the  war  post,  they  leaVe  it  there 
until  their  enemies  ask  them  to  take  it  out." 

'*  Why  come  they  now,  then,  to  ask  for  peace  ?"  was  the  cool  demand. 
The  warrior  hesitated^  evidently  at  a  loss  to  give  a  reply  that  could  reconcile 
the  palpable  contradiction  of  his  words.  "  The  rich  furs  of  our  forests  have 
become  many,"  he  at  length  observed,  "  since  we  first  took  up  the  hatchet 
against  the  Saganaw ;  and  every  bullet  we  keep  for  our  enemies  is  a.  loss  to 
our  trade.  We  once  exchanged  furs  with  the  children  of  our  father  of  the 
pale  flag.  They  gave  us,  in  return,  guns,  blankets,  powder,  ball,  and  all 
that  the  red  man  requires  in  the  hunting  season.  These  are  all  expended ; 
and  my  yoimg  men  would  deal  with  the  Saganaw  as  they  did  with  the 
French." 

"  Good  ;  the  red  skins  would  make  peace ;  and  although  the  arm  of  the 
Saganaw  is  strong,  he  will  not  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  their  desire." 

"  All  the  strongholds  of  the  Saganaw,  except  two,  have  fallen  before  the 
great  chief  of  the  Ottawas !"  proudly  returned  the  Indian,  vrith  a  look  of 
faingled  scorn  and  defiance.  "They,  too,  thought  themselves  beyond  the 
reach  of  our.  *  )mahawks  ;  they  were  deceived.  In  less  than  a  single  moon 
nine  of  them  nave  fallen,  and  the  tents  of  my  young  warriors  are  darkened 
with  their  scalps ;  but  this  is  past.  If  the  red  skin  asks  for  peace,  it  is  be- 
cause he  is  tired  of  seeing  the  blood  of  the  Saganaw  on  his  tomahawk.  Does 
my  father  hear  1" 

"  We  will  listen  to  the  great  chief  of  the  Ottiawas,  and  hear  what  he  has  to 
say,"  returned  the  governor,  who,  as  well  as  the  officers  at  his  side,  could  with 
diffltulty  conceal  their  disgust  and  sorrow  at  the  dreadful  intelligence  thus 
imparted  of  the  fetes  o^  their  companions.  "  But  peace,"  he  pursued  with 
dignity,  "  can  only  be  made  in  the  council-room,  and  under  the  sacred  pledge 
of  the  calumet.  The  great  chief  has  a  wampum  belt  on  his  shoulder,  and  a 
calumet  iir  his  hand.  His  i^d  warriors,  too,  are  at  his  side.  What  says  the 
Ottawt  ?  Will  he  enter  i  If  so,  the  gate  of  the  Saganaw  shall  be  open  to 
him."  The  warrior  started ;  and  for  a  moment  the  confideqce  that  had  hith-  - 
erto  distinguislted  him  seemed  to  give  place  to  an  apprehension  of  meditated  - 
treachery.  He,  however,  speedily  recovered  himself,  and  observed  emphati- 
C1JI7,  *'  It  is  the  great  head  of  all  the  nations  whom  my  father  invites  to  tb| 


M  ■ 


f^r 


Pi   I 


■f  a 


'i  -^ 


m 


m 


WACOII8TA;      OR,     THE      PROPHECY. 


"*: ;. 


•M';- 


*:,    ''') 


I ! '^  IM 


council  seat.  Were  he  to  reni<ain  in  the  hands  of  the  Saganaw,  his  young 
men  would  lose  their  strength.  They  would  bury  the  hatchet  for  ever  in 
despair,  and  hide  their  faces  in  the  laps  of  their  women." 

"  Does  the  Ottawa  chief  see  the  pale  flag  on  the  stronghold  of  his  enemies? 
While  that  continues  to  tly  he  is  safe  as  if  ho  wci-e  under  the  cover  of  his 
own  wigwam,  if  the  Saganaw  could  use  guile  like  the  fox,  (and  this  was 
sai^  witli  marki'd  emjduisis. )  w  luit  should  prevent  him  from  cutting  off  the 
Ottawa  and  hist'liiefs,  even  wheiv  tiiey  now  stand  ?"  A  half  smile  of  derision 
passed  over  the  dark  cheek  of  liie  Indian.  '•  If  the  arm  of  the  Ottawa  is 
strong."  he  said,  "^is  foot  is  not  Us.s  sv/ift.     The  short  guns  of  the  chiefs  of 

tB  Sany;anaw  (pointing  to  the  jv.stols  of  the  cflficers)  could  not  reach  us ; 
d  befbre  the  voice  of  our  father  coti^d  be  raised,  or  his  eye  turned,  to  call 
his  warriors  to  his  side,  the  Ottawa  would  be  already  far  on  his  way  to  the 
forest."  ' 

"  The  great  chief  of  the  Ottawas  shall  judge  better  of  the  Saganaw,"  re- 
turned the  governor.  "  He  shall  see  that  his  young  men  are  ever  watchful  at 
their  posts  : — Up,  men,  and  show  yourselves."  A  second  or  two  sufficed  co 
bring  the  whole  of  Captain  Erskine's  company,  who  had  been  lying  Hoi  on 
their  faces,  to  their  feet  on  the  rampart.  The  Indians  were  evidently  taken 
by  surprise,  though  they  evinced  no  fear.  The  low  and  guttural  "  ugh ! " 
was  the  only  express)*  n  they  gave  to  ihcir  astonishment,  not  unmingled  with 
admiratioii. 

But  aUhough  the  clnofs  preserved  their  presence  of  mind,  the  sudden  ap- 
pearance of  the  soldiers  had  excited  alarm  among  their  warriors,  who,  grouped 
in  and  around  the  bomb-proof,  were  watching  every  movement  of  the  confer- 
ring parties,  with  an  interest  proportioned  to  the  risk  they  conceived  their 
head  men  had  incurred  in  venturing  under  the  very  walls  of  their  enemies. 
Fierce  yells  were  uttered ;  and  more  than  a  hundred  dusky  warriors,  brand- 
ishing, their  tomahawks  in  air,  leaped  along  the  skirt  of  the  common,  evidently 
only  awaiting  the  signal  of  their  great  chief,  to  advance  and  cover  his  retreat. 
At  the  command  of  the  governor,  however,  the  men  had  again  suddenly  dis- 
appeai-ed  from  the  surface  of  the  rampart ;  so  that  when  the  Indians  jiually 
.I)erceived  their  lead(  r  stood  unharmed  and  unmolested,  on  the  spot  he  had 
previously  occupied,  the  excitement  died  away,  and  they  once  more  assumed 
their  attitude  of  profo«md  attention. 

'"  What  thinks  the  gicat  chief  of  the  Ottawas  now  ?"  asked  the  governor; — 
did  he  imagine  that  the  young  white  men  lie  sleeping  like  .beavers  in  their 
dams,  when  the  hunter  sets  his  traj)s  to  catch  them? — did  he  imagine  that 
fhey  foresee  not  the  designs  of  tueir  enemies?  and  that  they  are  not  always 
on  the  watch  to  prevent  them  ?" 

'*  My  falher  is  a  great  warrior,"  returned  the  Indian  ;  "and  if  his  arm  is 
.  full  of  strength,  his  head  is  full  of  wisdom.  The  chiefs  will  no  longer  hesitate; 
— they  will  enter  the  stronghold  of  the  Saganaw,  and  sit  with  him  in  the 
council."  Ho  next  addressed  a  few  words,  and  in  a  lahguage  not  understood 
by  tho.se  upon  the  \^'all.s,  to  one  of  the  younger  of  the  Indians.  The  latter  ac- 
knowledged his  sense  and  approbiition  of  what  was  said  to  him  by  an  assen- 
tient  ami  I'.vprcssive  "ugh  !"  which  came  from  his  chest  without  any  apparent 
motion  of  tiio  lips,  much  in  the  manner  of  a  modern  ventriloquist.  lie  then 
hastened,  with  lapid  and  lengthened  boundings,  across  the  common  towanls 
his  band.  After  the  lap.se  of  a  minute  or  two  from  rcachinfi;  them,  another 
sinnillimeous  cry  aro.se,  dilleiing  in  expression  from  any  that  had  hitherto 
Ik'cu  hoard.  It  was  out!  denoting  submission  to  the  will,  and  conipliauce  with 
some  ciuivcyed  desire,  of  their  superior. 

"  Is  the  late  of  the  Saganaw  opni  ?"  asked  the  latter,  us  soon  as  his  ear  had 
been  greeted  with  the  cry  we  have  just  nHine<l.     "The  Ottawa  and  the  tther 

great  cliii  Is  are  ready; — their  hearts  are  bold,  and  thev  throw  themselves  into 
tie  hands  (»f  the  Sagnnaw  without  fear."' 
"The  Ottawa  chief  knows  ijie  pulh."  drily  rejoined  thegov<)rnor:  "when 


re- 


\V  A  (J  O  U  8  T  A 


OR,     THE     PROPHECV. 


81 


he  comes  in  peace,  it  is  ever  open  to  him ;  but  when  his  young  men  press  it 
with  the  tomahawk  in  their  hands,  the  big  thunder  is  roused  to  anger,  and 
they  are  scattered  away  hke  the  leaves  of  the  forest  in  the  storm.  Even  now," 
he  pursued,  as  the  little  band  of  Indians  moved  slowly  round  the  walls,  "  the 
gate  of  the  Saganaw  opens  for  the  Ottawa  and  the  other  chiefs." 

"  Let  the  most  vigilant  caution  Ijc  used  everywhei-e  along  the  works,  but 
especially  in  the  rear,"  contimied  the  governor,  addressing  Captain  Blessing- 
ton,  on  whom  the  duty  of  the  day  had  devolved.  "  We  are  safe,  while  their 
cliiefs  are  with  us  ;  but  still  it  will  be  necessary  to' watch  the  forest  clo.sely. 
We  cannot  be  too  much  on  our  guard.  The  men  had  better  remain  concealed, 
every  twentieth  file  only  standing  up  to  form  a  look-out  chain.  If  any  move- 
ment of  a  suspicious  nature  be  observed,  let  it  be  communicated  by  the  dis- 
charge of  a  single  musket,  that  the  drawbridge  may  b6  raised  on  the  instant." 
With  the  delivery  of  these  brief  instructions  he  quitted  the  rampart  with  the 
majority  of  his  officers.  Meanwhile,  hasty  preparations  had  been  made  ip  the 
mess-room  to  receive  the  chiefs.  The  tables  had  been  removed,  and  a  number 
of  clean  rush  mats,  manufactured  after  the  Indian  manner,  into  various  figures 
and  devices,  spread  carefully  on  the  floor.  At  the  further  end  from  the  en- 
trance was  placed  a  small  table  and  chair,  covered  with  scarlet  cloth.  This 
was  considerably  elevated  above  the  surface  of  the  floor,  and  intended  for  the 
governor.  On  either  side  of  the  room  near  these,  were  ranged  a  number  of 
chairs  foi'  the  accommodation  of  the  inferior,  officers. 

Mfijor  Blackwater  received  the  chiefs  at  the  gate.  With  a  firm,  proud  step, 
rendered  more  confident  by  his  very  unwillingness  to  betray  a"iything  like 
fear,  the  tall,  and,  as  Captain  Erskine  had  justly  designated  hi  ,  tlie  nob'e- 
looking  Ponteac  trod  the  yielding  planks  that  might  in  the  next  moment  cut 
him  oft"  from  his  people  for  ever.  The  other  chiefs,  following  thee  xample  of 
their  leader,  evinced  the  same  easy  fearlessness  of  demeanor,  nor  glanced  once 
behind  them  to  see  if  there  was  anything  to  justify  .he  apprehension  of  hidden 
danger. 

The  Ottawa  was  evidently  mortified  at  not  being  received  by  the  governor 
in  person.  "  My  father  is  not  here  !"  ho  said  fiercely  to  the  major : — *'  how  is 
this?  The  Ottawa  and  the  other  chief  are  kings  of  al!  their  tribes.  The  head 
of  one  great  people  should  be  receited  only  by  the  head  of  another  great 
peoi)le  I" 

"  Our  father  sits  in  the  council-hall,"  returned  the  major.  "  He  has  taken 
his  seat  that  he  may  receive  the  wariiors  with  becoming  honor.  But  I  am 
the  second  chief^  and  our  father  has  sent  me  to  receive  them."  To  the  prcad 
spirit  of  the  Indian  this  explanation  scarcel}'  sufficed.  For  a  moment  he  seemed" 
to  struggle,  as  endeavoring  to  stifle  his  keen  sense  of  an  affront  put  upon  him. 
At  IcngUi  he  nodded  his  head  haughtily  and  condescendingly,  in  tolmn  of  assent; 
and  gathering  up  his  noble  form,  and  swelling  out  his  chest,  as  with  a  view  to 
strike  terror  as  well'  as  admiration  into  the  hearts  of  those  by  whom  ho  ex- 
pected to  be  surrounded,  stalked  majestically  forward  at  the  head  of  his  con- 
federates. 

An  indiffciH^t  observer,  or  one  ignorant  of  these  peojile,  would  have  been 
at  fault ;  but  t>a)se  who  understood  the  workings  of  an  Indian's  spirit  could 
not  have  been  deceived  by  the  tranquil  exterior  of  these  men.  The  rapid,  keen, 
and  lively  glance*— the  suppressed  sneer  of  exultation — the  iialf  start  of  sur- 
prise— the  low,  ^uttcral,  and  almost  inaudible  "  ug'. !" — all  these  indicated 
the  eagerness  with  which,  at  one  sly  but  compendious  view,  they  ombruccd 
the  whole  interior  of  a  fort  which  it  was  of  such  vital  importance  to  their  future 
interests  they  should  become  possessed  of,  yet  which  thcv  had  so  long  and  so 
unsii  (issfuliy  attempted  to  subdue.  As  they  advanced  rito  tiie  square,  thuy 
looket".  Around,  expecting  to  behold  the  full  array  of  th'^ir  enemies  j  but,  to 
then'  atonishmcnt,  not  a  soldier  was  to  bo  seen.  A  few  women  and  children 
only,  in  whom  fn*  iositv  had  overcome  n  natural  loathinc'  and  repiignance  to 
the  b.*ra^,  wtiro  peeping  from  the  wir  dowu  of  the  block-houses.    Even  at  • 


'    ll 


'V 


{-■•' 


wacovsta;    or,    the    prophecy. 


':|^-> 


l^i 


■I ;  "1 


\ 


momeut  like  the  present,  the  fierce  instinct  of  these  latter  was  not  to  be  con- 
trolled. One  of  the  children,  terrified  at  the  wild  appearance  of  the  wsirriors, 
Kcreamed  violently,  and  clung  to  the  bosom  of  its  mother  for  protection.  Fire<l 
at  the  sound,  a  young  chief  raised  his  hand  to  his  lips,  and  was  about  to  peal 
forth  his  teinble  war  whoop  in  the  centre  of  the  fort,  when  the  eye  of  the 
Ottawa  suddenly  arrested  liim.  , 


tl  u- 


.'   ';    •;    '  chapt|;r  xm.  •    :  : 

There  were  few  forms  of  courtesy  observed  by  the  warriors  towards  the 
English  officers  on  entering  the  council  room.  Ponteac,  who  had  collected  all 
his  native  haughtiness  into  one  proud  expression  of  look  and  figure,  strode  in 
without  taking  the'  slightest  notice  even  of  the  governor.  The  other  chiefs 
imitated  his  example,  and  all  took  their  seats  upon  the  riTStting  in  the  order  pre- 
scrilied  by  their  rank  atnong  the  tribes,  and  their  experience  in  council.  The 
Ottawa  chief  sat  at  the  near  extremity  of  the  room,  and  immediately  facing 
the  governor.  A  profound  silence  was  observed  for  some  minutes  after  the 
Indians  had  seated  themselves,  during  wliich  they  proceeded  to  fill  their  pipes. 
The  handle  of  that  of  the  Ottawa  chief  was  decorated  with  numerous  feathers 
fancifully  disposed. 

"  This  is  well."  at  length  observed  the  governor.  "  It  is  long  since  the  great 
chiefs  of  he  nations  have  smoked  the  sweet  grass  in  the  council-hall  of  the 
Saganaw.  What  have  they  to  say,  that  their  young  men  may  have  peace  to 
hunt  the  beaver,  and  to  leave  the  print  of  their  moca.ssins  in  the  country  of 
the  buffalo  ?     What  says  the  Ottawa  chief?" 

"•  The  Ottawa  chief  is  a  great  warrior,"  returned  the  other,  haughtily  ;  and 
again  repudiating,  in  the  indomitablenoss  of  his  pride,  the  very  views  that  a 
more  artful  policy  had  first  led  him  to  avow.  "  lie  has  already  said  that, 
within  a  single  moon,  nine  of  the  strongholds  of  the  Saganaw  have  fallen  into 
his  hands,  and  that  the  scalps  of  the  white  men  fill  the  tents  of  his  warriors. 
If  the  red  skins  wish  for  peace,  it  is  because  they  ire  sick  with  .spilling  the 
blood  of  their  enemies.     l)ot's  my  father  hear  ?" 

"  The  Ottawa  has  been  cunning  like  the  fox,"  camly  returned  thegoverno". 
"  lie  went  with  deceit  on  his  lips,  and  ssiid  to  the  great  chiefs  of  the  stron^^- 
holds  of  the  Saganaw. — '  Yoii  have  no  more  forts  nix)n  the  lakes  ;  they  have 
all  fallen  before  the  red  skins :  they  gave  themselves  into  our  hands ;  and  we 
spait^d  their  lives,  and  sent  them  down  to  the  great  towns  near  the  salt  lake.' 
But  this  was  false :  the  chiefs  of  the  Saganaws  believing  what  was  said  to 
them,  gave  up  their  strong  holds ;  but  their  lives  were  not  spared,  and  the 
grass  of  the  Oanadas  is  yet  moist  with  their  blood.     Dues  the  Ottawa  hear  ?" 

\niazeinent  and  stupefaction  sat  for  a  moihent  on  the  features  of  the  Indi- 
ans. The  fact  was  as  had  been  stated ;  and  yet,,  so  completely  had  the  several 
forts  been  cut  off  from  all  coninmnicHil.-n.  it  was  deemed  almost  impossible 
one  couhl  have  received  tidings  of  the  fate  of  t*l»<!  other,  unless  convoyed 
through  the  Indians  themselves.  ;. 

'  The  spies  of  the  Saganaw  have  bwn  very  quick  to  esciipo  tho  ^ig.lance  of 
the  red  skins,"  at  length  replied  the  Ottawa;  "vet  they  hilve  rettirned  with 
n  lie  upon  tlieir  lips.  I  swfar  by  the  Oreat  Si)irit,  tliat  nine  of  the  strong- 
holds of  the  Saganaw  have  been  destroyed,  llow  could  the  Ottawa  go  witn 
deceit  U|)on  his  lips,  when  his  words  were  truth  7" 

"When  tlie  rod  skins  said  so  to  the  warriors  of  the  last  forts  they  took, 
they  said  trup  ;  but  when  they  wont  to  the  first  and  said  that  all  the  rest  haa 
fallen,  thoy  used  deceit,  A  great  nation  shouUi  overcome  their  ci^mios  like 
warriors,  and  not  seek  to  beguile  them  with  their  tongues  under  the  edge  ot 
the  Kcaljling  knife!"  ^  » 


.'■i^ 


of  . 
ith  > 

nth 


\ 


wacuusta;    or,    the    prophecv. 


83 


•'  Why  did  the  Snganiiw  come  into  the  (.'ountry  of  the  red  sknis?"  haughtily 
demanded  the  chief.     '"  Why  did  they  take  our  hiuiting  grounds  from  us  1 


Wh,\  have  they  strong  places  encircling  the  country  of  the  Indians,  like  a 
oelt  of  \vamputn  round  the  waist  of  a  warrior?" 

"  This  is  not  true,"  rejoined  the  governor,  '•  Tt  was  not  the  Saganaw,  but 
the  warriors  of  the  paLc  Hag,  who  first  came  and  took  away  tlie  hunting 
grounds,  and  huilt  tlie  strong  places.  The  great  father  of  tlie  Saganaw  had 
beaten  the*!great  fath.^'r  of  the  pale  Hag  quite  out  of  the  Canadas,  and  he  sent 
his  young  men  to  take  their  place  and  to  Tuake  peace  with  the  red  skins,  and 
to  tr:»(ie  with  them,  and  to  call  them  brothers.." 

"The  Saganaw  was  false."  retorte<l  the  Indian.  "When  a  chief  of  the 
Saganaw  came  for  tl\,e  firsl,  time  with  his  warriors  into  the  country  of  the 
Ottawa.s.  the  chief  of  the  Ottawas  stood  in  his  path,  and  asked  him  why,,  and 
from  whom  he  came?  That  chief  was  a  bold  warrior,  and  his  heart  was 
open,  and  tlu'  Ottawa  liked  him  ;  and  when  he  said  he  came  to  be  friendly 
with  the  re<l  skins,  the  Ottawa  believed  him,  and  he  sho  ^ic  him  by  the  hand, 
and  said  to  his  young  meii,  '  Touch  not  the  life  of  a  Saganaw ;  for  their  chief 
is  the  friend  of  the  Ottawa  chief,  and  his  young  men  shall  be  the  friends  of 
the  red  warriors.'  Look,"  he  proceeded,  marking  his  sense  of  the  discovery 
by  another  of  those  ejaculatory  ••  ughs  !"  so  expressive  of  surpri.se  in  an  In- 
dian, 'at  the  light  hand  of  my  father  I  see  a  chief,"  pointing  to  Captain 
Erskine,  *'  who  came  with  those  of  the  Saganaw  who  first  entered  the  country 
of  the  Detroit ; — a.sk  that  chief  if  what  the  Ottawa  says  is  not  true.  When 
the  Saginaw  said  he  came  only  to  remove  the  warriors  of  the  pale  flag,  that 
he  might  be  friendly  and  trade  with  the  red  skins,  the  Ottawa  received  the 
belt  of  wampum  he  offered,  a  .d  smoked  the  pipe  of  peace  with  him,  and  he 
made  his  men  bring  bags  of  parched  corn  to  his  warriors  who  wanted  food, 
and  he  sent  to  all  the  nations  on  the  lakes,  and  said  to  them.  '  The  Saganaw 
must  pass  unhurt  to  the  strong  hold  on  the  Detroit.'  IJut  for  the  Ottawa, 
not  a  Saganaw  would  have  escaped  ;  for  the  nations  were  thirsting  for  their 
blood,  anl  the  knives  of  the  warriors  were  eager  to  open  their  .scnlps.  Ask 
the  chief  who  sits  at  the  I'ight  hand  of  my  father."  he  again  energetically  re- 
peated, ''  if  what  the  Ottawa  says  is  not  true." 

•'  What  the  Ottawa  says  is  true,"  rejoined  the  governor;  for  the  chief  who 
!»its  on  my  right  hand  has  often  said  that,  but  for  the  Ottawa,  the  small  num- 
ber of  till'  warriors  of  the  Saganaw  must  have  been  cut  olf ;  and  his  heart  is 
big  with  kindness  to  the  Ottawa  for  what  he  did.  But  if  the  great  chief 
meant  to  be  friendly,  why  did  he  declare  war  afler  smoking  the  pipe  of  peace 
with  the  Saganaw  7  Why"  did  he  destroy  the  wigwams  of  the  settlers,  tlhd 
carry  otl'  the  scalps  even  of  their  weak  women  and  children  ?  All  this  has 
the  Ottawa  done;  and  yet  he  .says  that  he  wished  to  be  friendly  with  my 
young  men.  Hut  the  Saganaw  is  not  a  fool.  He  knows  the  Ottawa  chief 
had  no  will  of  his  own.  On  tho  right  hand  of  the  Ottawa  sits  the  great  chief 
of  the  Delawares,  and  on  his  left  the  great  chief  of  the  Shawanees.  They 
have>long  been  the  sv  orn  enemies  of  the  Saganaw  ;  and  they  came  from  the 
rivers  tliat  run  near  the  .salt  lake  to  stir  up  tho  red  skins  of  the  Detroit  to 
war.  Thev  whispereil  wicked  words  in  the  ear  of  the  Ottawa  chief,  and  he 
determined  to  take  up  the  bloody  hatchet.  Tliis  is  a  shame  to  a  great  w.vr- 
rior.  The  Ottawa  was  a  king  over  all  tho  tiibes  in  the  country  or  the  fresh 
lakes,  and  yet  lie  weakly  took  council  like  a  woman  from  another." 

"  My  fatlier  lies  !"  fiercely  retorted  the  warrior,  half  springing  to  his  feet. 
ii)d  inv  ^luntarfly  putting  his  hand  upon  his  tomahawk.  "  If  the  settlers  ot 
the  Sag.tnaw  have  fallen,"  he  resumed  in  a  calmer  tone,  while  he  again  sank 
iiji  n  his  mitt.  "  it  is  b.^cau.se  they  <liil  not  keep  their  faith  with  the  red  skins 
When  they  came  weak,  and  were  not  secure  in  their  strong  holds,  their 
tongues  were  smooth  and  full  of  soft  words ;  but  when  they  became  strong 
uncler  the  proti-otion  of  their  thun<ler,  th  y  no  longer  treated  tho_  rod  skins 
as  their  friends,  and  they  laughed  at  then)  for  letting  them  come  into  tboif 


i    l 


frw 


VTACOUSTA;      or,     the     PROFHEOr. 


country.  But,"  he  pursued,  elevating  his  voice,  "  the  Ottawa  is  a  j^reat  chief 
and  he  will  be  respected."  Then  adverting  in  bitterness  to  the  infjuence  sup- 
posed to  be  exercised  over  him — "  What  my  father  has  said  is  false.  Th^ 
Shawanees  and  the  Delawares  had  no  talk  with  the  Ottawa  chief  to  make  hiia 
do  what  his  own  wisdom  did  not  tell  him." 

••  Tlien,  if  the  talk  came  not  from  tho  Shawanees  and  the  Delawares,  it 
came  fi'om  the  spies  of  the  warriors  of  tlie  pale  ilag.  The  great  father  of  the 
French  was  angry  witliithe  great  father  of  the  Saganaw,  because  he  conquered 
his  WMiriors  in  many  battles ;  and  he  sent  wicked  men  to  whisper  lies  of  the 
Sa^  iriaw  into  thr  ears  of  the  red  skins,  and  to  mnke  them  take  up  the  hatchet 
against  them,  'i'here  is  a  tall  sp}"^  iit  this  moment  in  the  camp  of  the  red 
skins,"  he  pursued  with  earnestness,  and  yet  paling  as  he  spoke.  "  It  is  said 
he  is  the  bosom  friend  of  the  great  chief  of  the  Ottawas.  But  I  will  not  be- 
hevc  it.  The  head  of  jt  great  nation  would  not  be  the  friend  of  a  spy — of  one 
who  is  baser  than  a  dog.  His  people  would  despise  him  ;  and  tiiey  would 
say,  '  Our  chief  is  not  tit  to  sit  in  council,  or  to  make  war  ;  for  he  is  led  by 
the  word  of  -i  pale  face  who  is  without  honor.' " 

The  swarthy  cheek  of  the  lu'lian  reddened,  and  his  eye  kin<lled  into  fire. 
"There  is  no  spy.  but  a  great  warrior  in  the  camp  of  the  Ottawas."  he  fierce- 
ly replied.  •  'i'liough  he  came  from  the  country  that  lies  beyond  the  salt 
laki',  he  is  now  n  chief  of  the  rod  skins,  and  his  afm  is  might}*,  and  his  heart 
is  big.  Would  my  father  know  why  be  has  become  a  chief  of  the  Ottawas?" 
he  pursued  with  .scornful  exultation.  "  When  the  strong  hohls  of  the  Saga- 
naw lell,  the  tomahawk  of  the  '  white  warrior'  drank  more  blood  than  that 
of  a  red  skin,  awl  bis  tent  is  hung  round  with  poles  bending  under  the  weight 
of  the  scalps  he  has  taken.  When  the  great  chief  of  the  Ottawas  die.s,  the 
palp  face  will  lead  his  warriors  ai^  take  the  first  .seat  in  thecoanCTl.  The  Ot- 
tawa chief  is  his  friend." 

"  If  the  pal(>  face  be  the  friend  of  the  Ottawa,"  pursued  the  governor,  in 
the  hope  of  obtiiining  some  particular  intelligence  in  regard  to  this  terrible 
and  mysteri„ns  being.  •'  why  is  he  not  hrt*e  to  !<it  in  counci!  with  the  chiefs? 
Perlmps."  he  procr>eded  tauntingly,  as  he  fancied  he  perceiverl  a  disinclination 
on  the  part  of  the  Indian  to  a'-eoimt  for  the  absence  of  the  warrior,  "the  pale 
face  is  hot  wortli y  to  take  his  place  among  the  head  men  of  tluJ  <'ounciI'.  His 
arm  may  l)e  strong  like  that  of  a  warrior,  but  his  head  may  be  weak  like  that 
of  a  woman  ;  or.  perhaj)S.  ho  is  ashHme<l  to  show  hunself  before  the  pale 
faces,  who  have  turned  him  n\it  of  their  tribe." 

"  My  father  li<!s !"  again  unceremoniously  retorted  the  warrior.  "  Tf  the 
friend  of  the  Ottawa  is  not  Wrr.  it  is  berr.nse  his  voice  cannot  speak.  Does 
my  f:itlier  recollect  the  bri4^  on  which  he  killed  his  .Vv>ung  wnrrior  ?  Docs 
he  recolIe<!t  the  terribht  chaw  of  tin-  ])ale  fiice  by  the  friend  of  the  Ottawa? 
Ugh  I"  ho  continued,  as  his  attenti(m  was  now  diverted  to  another  ()bje(;t  of 
interest,  "that  palv  face  wa.s  swifter  than  any  runner  among  the  red  skins, 
and  for  his  Ueetness  he  deserved  to  live  t.()  be  a  great  hunter  in  the  Cnnada.s; 
but  fear  broke  his  heart — fear'  of  (be  frieufl  of  thi'  Ottcwa  chief  'l"he  rwl 
skins  .saw  him  fall  at  the  feel  of  the  Saganaw  without  lifi-.  iinti  they  saw  the 
young  warriors  htar  him  oti'  in  their  arms.  Is  not  ttie  (Htawa  riglit  ?  'I'lio 
Indian  paused,  threw  his  eye  lapfflly  along  tl)o  room,  and  then,  fixing  it  on 
the  governor,  see?-.»ed  to  wnit  with  <leep  but  snp|,res,si(l  int^iisl  for  his  reply. 

"  Peace  to  the  bones  of  a  brave  warrior !"  seriously  and  evasively  returned 
tho  governor:  "the,  i)ale  face  is  no  longer  in  the  land  of  the  Canadas.  and  the 
young  warriors  of  the  Saganaw  are  ,sorr\  lor  his  loss;  but  what  would  the  Ot- 
tawa say  of  the  bridge?  and  what  haK  the  pale  warrior,  the  friend  ql'  the  Ot** 
tawa,  to  do  with  it?" 

A  gleam  of  satisfaction  pervade<l  the  countenance  of  the  hnhan,  as  he  eag- 
•riy  bent  hiM  fear  to  receive  the  as.surance  t!i«it  the  fugitive  was  no  more ;  but 
when  allusion  was  made  to  the  strnnge  warrior,  his  brow  be<'ame  overcast  and 
h«  replied  with   n»ingle<l  liaughtincaa  and  anger,—"  i)oe8   luy  fatlier  ask  ? 


•     f     ' 


•>■• 


W  ACOUSTA 


O  R 


HE      P  R  «»  !'  H   E  <:  Y 


85 


■<*' 


He  has  doccs  of  spies  ainon.i:;  the  settlers  of  the  pale  flaj*,  but  the  tomahawk 
of  the  red  skins  will  (nul  then:  oht.  and  they  shall  perish  even  as  the  Saga- 
naAV  themselves.  'I'wo  nij!;hls  asj^o.  wlien  the  warriors  of  the  Ottawas  were 
returning  from  the  srout  upon  the  common,  they  heard  the  voice  of  Onondato, 
the  wolf-dog  of  the  friend  of  tlie  Ottawa  chief  The  voice  came  from  ,the 
bridge  where  the  Saganaw  killed  his  young  wanior.  and  it  ciiilled  upon  the  red 
skins  for  assistance.  My  young  men  gave  their  war  err,  and  ran  :'k(  wild 
deer  to  destroy  the  enemies  of  their  chief;  but  when  they  came  ttie  spie<  had 
fled,  and  the  voice  of  Onondato  was  low  and  weak  as  that  of  a  new  fawn  ;  and 
when  the  warriors  came  to  the  other  end  of  the  bridge  they  found  the  jiaie 
chief  lying  across  the  road  and  covered  over  with  blood.  They  thought  he 
was  dead  and  their  cry  was  terrible  ;  for  the  pale  warricfr  is  a  great  cti^ef  and 
the  Octawas  love  him;  but  when  they  looked  again,  they  saw  that  the  blood 
was  the  blood  of  Onondato.  whose  throat  the  spies  of  the  Saganaw  had  cut  that 
he  might  not  hunt  them  and  give  them  to  the  tomahawk  of  the  red  skins." 
Frequent  glances,  expressive  of  their  deep  interest  in  the  announcemejit  of 
this  intelligence,  passed  between  the  governor  and  his  officers.  It  was  clear 
the  party  who  had  encountered  the  terrible  warrior  of  the  Fleur  de  liis  were 
not  spies  (for  none  were  employed  by  the  garrison),  but  their  adventurous 
companions  who  had  so  recently  quitted  them.  This  was  put  beyond  all 
doubt  by  the  night,  the  hour,  and  the  not  less  important  fict  of  the  locality ; 
for  it  was  from  the  bridge  described  by  the  Indian,  near  which  the  Canadian 
had  stated  his  canoe  to  be  chained,  they  were  to  embark  on  their  perilous  and 
uncertain  enterprise.  The  question  of  their  own  escape  from-  danger  in  this 
unlooked  for  collision  with  so  powerful  and  ferocious  an  enemy,  and  of  the 
'fidelity  of  the  Canadi.an,  still  remained  involved  in  doubt,  which  it  might  be 
imprudent,  if  not  dangerous,  to  seek  to  have  resolved  by  anj'  direct  remark 
on  tlie  sut)ject  to  the  keen  and  observant  warrior.  The  governor  removed 
this  difiicuity  by  artfully  observing. — •'The  great  chief  of  the  Ottawas  has 
said  tlu'v  were  Ihe  spies  of  th(^  Saganaw  who  killed  the  pale  warrior.  His 
young  men  have  found  them,  then  ;  or  how  could  he  know  they  were  spies  ?" 
•'  Tm  there  a  warrior  among  tlie  Saganaw  who  dar"s  to  show  hiuiself  in  the 
path  of  the  red  skins,  unless  be  comi'  in  streniith  and  surrounded  by  hi.s 
thunder  7"  was  the  sneering  demand.  ■"  Hut  my  fiither  is  wrong  if  lie  sup- 
poses the  friend  of  the  Ottawa  is  killed.  No."  he  pursued  fiercely,  "  the  dogs 
of  spies  eonld  ^vii  kill  him  ;  ih  y  were  .ifraiil  to  fice  so  terrible  a  warrior. 
They  came  bcliiud  him  in  'ht-  lark,  and  they  struck  him  on  the  head  like 
oowiirds  and  fo\  s  as  they  v.  ere.  The  w.'u-rior  of  the  pale  face,  and  th  '  friend 
of  the  Ottawii  clnef  is  sick  but  not  dead.  lie  lies  witlrnit  motion  in  his  tent, 
nvvl  his  voice  cannot  speak  ti:  h-^  friend  to  tell  him  who  were  his  enemies, 
that  he  may  bring  their  scalps  to  iiang  up  within  his  w'gwani.  l>ut  the  great 
cl\ief  \iill  soon  be  well,  and  his  arm  will  be  strongi-r  than  ever  to  spill  tho 
blood  of  the  Sagana\.'  as  he  has  d(»ne  before." 

"^'he  talk  of  the  Ottawa  chief  is  strange,"  returned  the  gmernor.  emphati- 
cally and  witli  dignity.  ''  He  says  he  comes  to  .smolc.'  the  pipe  of  ]>eace  with 
the  Saganaw,  ami  yet  he  talks  of  spilling  their  blood  as  if  it  was  water  from 
the  lake.  What  does  the  Ottawa  mean  ?"  "  Ugh  !"  exclainvd  the  .Iiidi.an,  in 
his  surprise.  *'  My  father  is  :"!':ht,  but  tho  Ottawa  and  the  Sagauftw  liave  not 
vet  smoked  together.  When  Ihtv  h.ave,  the  hatchet  will  be  buried  for  ever. 
'    until  then,  they  are  still  enemies." 

iMiiing  this  long  and  important  colloqiiy  of  the  leading  parties,  the  strietCBt 
.,  '.nee  hud  )»eei>  preserved  by  the^emaindcr  of  tlie  council.  The  inferior  chiefe 
had  continued  'lelil)erately  pulling  the  smoke  from  their  curled  lip,s.  as  they 
»at  cros8-lei:ge<l  «'n  their  'nats.  and  noddin-j:  their  heads  at  intervals  in  eonttr- 
matiou  of  the  ovasionni  qipeal  made  by  the  rapid  glance  of  the  Ottawa,  and 
uttering  their  gutterai  "  Ugh!"  whenever  any  ol>servation  of  the  parlant  par- 
ties (ouehed  their  feelingS,  or  called  forth  their  surpri>!e.  'I'he  ollicers  had  been 
BO  less  silejjt  and  attentive  li.stoners  to  a  conversation  on  the  idsue  of  which 


w 


so 


WACOUSTA 


O  R 


THE      PROPHECV 


A 


hung  so  many  dear  and  paramount  interests.  A  pause  in  the  confeience  gave 
them  an  opportunity  of  commenting  in  a  low  tone  on  the  comnmnication 
made,  in  the  strong  exoitement  of  his  prkie,  by  the  Ottawa  chief,  in  regard  to 
the  terrible  warrior  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis ;  who,  it  was  evident  swayed  the  coun- 
cils of  the  Indians,  and  consequently  exercised  an  influence  ovur  the  ultimate 
destinies  of  the  English,  which  it  was  impossible  to  contemplate  without  alarm. 
It  was  evident  to  all,  from  whatsoever  cause  it  might  arise,  this  man  cherished 
a  rancor  towards  certain  individuals  in  the  fort,  inducing  an  anxiety  in  its  re- 
duction scarcely  equalled  by  that  entertained  on  the  part  of  the  Indians  them- 
selves. Beyond  this,  however,  all  was  mystery  and  doubt}  nor  had  any  clue 
been  given  to  enable  them  to  arrive  even  at  a  well  founded  apprehension  of 
the  naotives  which  had  given  birth  to  the  vindictivness  of  purpose  so  univer 
sally  ascribed  to  liim  even  by  the  savages  themselves. 

The  chiefs  also  availed  themselves  of  this  pause  in  the  conversation  of  the 
principals,  to  sustain  a  low  and  animated  discussion.  Those  of  the  Shawanee 
and  Delaware  nations  were  especially  earnest ;  and,  as  they  spoke  across  the 
OtLuvva,  betrayed,  b}"-  their  vehemence  of  gesture,  the  iictiou  of  some  strong 
feeling  upon  their  minds,  the  precise  nature  of  which  could  not  be  ascertained 
from  their  speech  at  the  opposite  extremity  of  the  room.  The  Ottawa  did  not 
iln'ifrv  ill  join  in  their  conversation,  but  sat  smoking  his  pipe  in  all  the  calm 
forldi^ing  dignity  of  a  .proud  Indian  warrior_c8nscious  of  liis  own  importance. 

■'  Does  the  great  chief  of  the  Ottawas,  then,  seek  f.n  peace  in  his  heart  at 
Je;:'  th?"  resumed  the  governor;  "or  is  he  come  to  'Jie  stro:;i:i;hold  of  Detroit, 
ft«  lie  went  to  the  other  strongholds,  with  deceit  on  his  lips  .' "  The  Indian 
>•••  nvly  removed  the  pipe  from  his  moulh,  fixed  his  keen  eye  searchiiigly  on 
t'latof  the  questioner  for  nearly  a  minute,  and  then  briefly  uud  haughtily  said, 
"Th'  Ottawa  chief  has  spoken." 

'^  And  do  the  great  tfhiefs  of  the  Sh;r»\  .ini'cs,  and  tho  great  chiefs  of  the  Dela- 
waros.  and  the  groat  cliiofs  of  tlfe  othov  nat'ons,  ask  iw  peace  also  ?"  demanded 
the  governor.     -  If  so,  let  them  spe.ik  for  themselves,  and  for  their  warriors." 

We  will  not  trespass  on  the  rtiader  by  a  transcript  of  the  declarations  of  the 
inferior  chiefs,  Kacn  in  his  turn  .uowed  motives  similar  to  those  of  the  Ottawa 
for  wishing  tlie  hatchet  might  be  buried  for  ever,  and  that  their  young  m^n 
should  mingle  once  more  in  confidence,  not  only  with  the  English  troops,  but 
with  the  settlers,  who  v'ouid  agai'i  be  brought  into  the  country  at  the  cessa- 
tion of  hostilities.  When  eacii  had  snoktni.  the  Ottawa  passed  tlo  pipe  of 
ceremony,  with  which  he  was  prcvided.  "^o  the  governor.  Tlie  latter  put  it  to 
his  lip.s,  and  commenced  smoking.  The  Indians  keenly,  and  half  furtively, 
watched  the  act ;  aid  looks  of  deep  intelligence,  that  e.scapet!  not  the  notice  of 
the  equally  anx.ous  and  observant  otlicers,  passed  among  tlieui. 

"  The  pi'pe  d  the  gieat  chief  of  the  Ottawas  smokes  well,''  calmly  remarked 
the  governc/.  ;  •'  but  the  Ottawa  chief,  in  his  iiurry  to  come  and  ask  for  peace, 
has  mad',  a  mistake.  The  pipe  and  all  its  ornaments  are  red  lite  blood  :  it  is 
the  i)ipc  of  .vur.  and  not  the  pipi>  of  peace.  The  great  chief  of  the  Ottawa.s 
will  bj  angry  with  hims.  If;  he  lr\s  entered  the  stronghold  uf  the  Saganaw, 
and  ^at  in  the  council,  witiiout  dying  any  good  for  his  young  men.  The  Ottawa 
must  come  again." 

A  deep  bat  subihied  e;cfnos!<ion  of  disapjointmrnt  passed  over  the  featm-os 
of  the  chiefs.  They  watched  the  countenances  of  the  ofliwrs,  to  .see  whetJior 
the  sul>stitution  of  one  pij»c  for  the  other  had  been  attTihuled,  in  their  estima- 
tion, to  accident  or  <lesigii.  There  was  nothing,  however,  to  indicate  the 
slightest  doubt  of  their  sincerity. 

"My  father  is  right."  replied  the  lmlia»,  wi'.h  an  appearance  of  embarras!*- 
ment.  which,  whetlier  natural  or  feigned,  had  ,»othing  suspicious  in  it.  "The 
great  chid  of  the  Ottawas  has  be-n  foolish,  like  an  oM  woman.  The  voimg 
chiefs  of  his  tribe  will  laug^i  at  him  fo*^  thi.'».  liiit  the  Ottawa  chief  will  come 
•giuu.  ami  the  other  diiefs  with  him.  for  a.-;  my  lather  sees,  they  all  wi.sh  for 
pcacv ;   lyd  that  my  fallior  ma\  know  all  the  natiijjis  wish  for  iwuce,  as  ^^A\ 


K, 


waoousta:  or,  the  propheuy. 


87 


oi 


([*>  ts  their  head  men,  the  warriors  of  the  Ottawa,  and  of  the  Shawanee,  and  oi 
>  the  Delaware,  shall  play  at  ball  upon  the  common,  to  amuse  his  young  men. 
while  the  chiefs  sit  in  council  with  the  chiefs  of  the  Sa,a,aniiw.  The  red  skins 
shall  come  naked,  and  without  their  rifles  and  their  tomahawks  ;  and  even  the 
squaws  of  the  warriors  shall  come  upon  the  comnicn.  to  show  the  Saganaw 
tliey     lay  he  without  fear.     Does  my  father  hear  ?" 

■''11^9  Ottawa  chief  says  well,"  returned  the  t^ov^M-nor;  "but  will  the  pale 

•  ..,    friendjjf  the  Ottawa  come  also  to  take  his  seat  in  the  council  hall  ?  The  great 

,^,'    chief  Bas  said  the  pale  warrior  huB  become  the  second  chief  among  the  Otta^as; 

and  that  when  he  is  dead,  the  pale  warrior  will  lead  the  Ottawa*,  and  take 

the  first  seat  in  the  council.   He,  too,  should  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace  wavh  the 

Saganaw,  that  they  may  know  he  is  no  longei"  their  enemy." 

The  Indian  hesitated,  utterinig  merely  his  quick  ejaculatory  '*  Ugh !"  in  ex- 
'  pression  of  his  surprise  at  so  unexpected  a  requisition.  "  The  pale  warrior, 
the  friend  of  the  Ottavva,  is  very  sick  "  he  at  length  said ;  "  but  if  the  Great 
Spirit  should  give  him  back  his  voice  before  the  chiefs  come  again  to  the  coun- 
cil, the  pale  face  will  come  too.  If  my  father  does  not  see  him  then,  he  will 
know  the  friend  of  the  Ottawa  chief  is  very  sick." 

The  governor  deemed  it  prudent  not  to  press  the  question  too  closely,  lest 
m  so  doing  he  should  excite  suspicion,  and  defeat  his  own  object  "When 
will  the  Ottawa  and  the  other  chiefs  come  again '?"  he  asked ;  "  and  when  will 
their  warriors  play  ball  upon  the  common,  that  the  Saganaw  may  see  them 
and  be  amused?"  "When  the  sun  has  travelled  so  many  times,"  replied 
Pontoac.  holding  up  three  fingers  of  his  left  hand,  '•  Then  will  the  Ottawa 
aJid  the  other  chiefs  bring  their  young  waiiiois  and  their  young  women." 

''It  is  too  soon,"  was  the  reply;  ''the  Suganaw  must  have  time  to  collect 
their  present^,  that  Lhey  may  give  them  to  the  young  v.'arriors  who  are  swift- 
est at  the  race,  and  most  .active  at  the  ball.  The  groat  chief  of  the  Ottawaa 
too.  must  let  tlie  settlers  of  the  pale  Hag.  who  are  the  friends  of  the  red  skins, 
bring  in  food  f;)r  the  Saganaw.  that  a  great  feast  may  be  given  t(^he  chielV, 
and  to  till!  warriors,  and  that  the  Saganaw  may  make  peace  with  the  Ottawas 
and  the  other  nations  as  becfomes  a  great  people.  In  tv.dce  so  many  days," 
holding  up  three  of  his  lingers  in  imitation  of  the  Indian,  "the  Saganaw  will 
be  ready  to  receive  the  chiefs  in  (iouncil,  that  they  may  smoke  the  pipe  of 
peace,  and  bnrv  the  hatchet  for  ever.  What  savs  the  great  chief  of  the 
,     Ottawas?" 

•  It  is  good."  was  thv  reply  of  the  Indian,  his  eye  lighting  up  with  deep 
and  exultiftg  expression.  "  The  settlers  of  the  pale  flag  shall  bring  food  to 
the  Saganaw.  The  Ottawa  chief  will  send  them,  and  he  will  desire  his  young 
men  not  to  prevent  them.  In  so  many  days,  tliiii,"  iudic  aliug  with  his  fingera 
'•the  great  chiefs'will  sit  again  in  council  with  the  Saganaw,  and  the  Ottawa 
;     chief  wilj  nut  be  a  fool  to  bi'ing  the  pipe  he  dvies  not  want." 

With  this  assurauci*"  the  confereuee  terminated.  Ponteac  rai.sed  his  tall 
frame  from  the  mat  on  which  he  ha<l  been  squatted,  noilded  condescendingly 
to  the  governor,  and  strode  haughtily  into  the  square  or  area  of  the  fort.  The 
other' ehi(f;  f)!lowed  his  example  ;  and  to  Major  l>iack  water  was  again  assign- 
e<l  the  (t»ity  of  accompanying  them  without  the  works.  The  glance  of  the 
sa\-iig?s,  i'.ml  thai  of  Poiito.-ic  in  partifular,  was  less  wary  than  at  their  en- 
trance. Kath  seeiin^l  to  embrace  every  object  on  which  the  eyes  could  rest 
as  if  to  fix  its  position  indelibly  in  his  meiiiorv.  The  young  chief,  tvho  had 
h?S;u  so  suddenly  nnd  opportunely  checked  while  in  the  very  act  of  pealing 
forth  hi-  terrible  warulioop.  Jigain  looked  up  at  the  windows  of  the  block* 
,  house,  in  quest  of  those  whom  his  savage  instinct  had  .nlready  devoted  in  in- 
*  tcntiou  to  his  toiuahauk.  but  they  were  no  lon^rcr  there.  Such  was  the 
Bilente  thai  reigned  eviry  where,  the  fort  appealed  to  be  tenanted  only  by  the 
few  men  of  the  ^uard,  who  lingered  n(>ar  their  stations,  attentively  watching 
the  Indians,  as  they  passed  towards  the  gate.  A  veiy  few  miiiutes  sufHcedtO 
bnug  the  latter  once  more  in  the  uidst  of  their  warriors,  whom  for  a  few 


•*■     it. 


m 

^••■■•';f\.i ' 


¥]'r 


tfl 


(^5.  ■}-■'»■•■ 


'I.  '■  ♦ 

Vim 


'»r. 


11-  1 


i*  ■ 


99  wacousta;    on,   the    frophbct. 

moments,  they  harangued  earnestly,  when  the  whole-  body  again  moved  ofi 
in  the  direction  of  then' encampment.      .•• 


:.*- 


■)'■■ 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


■  +  '«' 


The  week  that  intervened  between  the  visit  of  the  chiefs  and  tpe  day  ap- 
pointed for  their  second  meeting  in  council,  was  passed  by  the  garrison  in 
perfect  fi'eedoni  from  alarm,  although,  as  usual,  in  diligent  watchfulness  and 
preparations  for  casualties.  In  conformit3vwith  his  promise,  the  Indian  had 
despatched  many  of  the  Canadian  settlers,  with  such  provisions  as  the  coun- 
tr}-  then  afforded,  to  the  governor,  and  these,  happy  to  obtain  the  gold  of  the 
troops  in  return  for  what  they  could  conveniently  spare,  were  not  slow  in 
availing  themselves  of  the  pennission.  Dried  bear's  meat,  venison,  and  Indian 
'com,  composed  the  substance  of  these  supplies,  which  were  in  sufficient  abun- 
dance to  produce  a  six  weeks'  increase  to  the  stock  of  the  garrison.  Hitherto 
they  had  been  subsisting,  in  a  great  degi-ee,  upon  salt  provisions ;  the  food 
furtively  supplied  by  the  Canadians  being  necessarily,  from  their  dread  of  de- 
tection, on  so  limited  a  scale,  that  a  very  small  portion  of  the  troopii  had  been 
enabled  to  proilt  by  it.'  This,  therefore,  was  an  important  and  unexpected 
benefit;  derived  from  the  falling  in  of  the  garrison  with  the  professed  views  of 
the  savages ;  and  one  which,  perhaps,  few  officers  would,  like  Colonel  de  Ilal- 
dimar.  have  possessed  the  forethought  to  have  secured.  But  although  it  serv- 
ed to  relieve  the  animal  wants  of  the  man,  there  was  little  to  remove  his 
moral  inquietude.  Discouraged  by  the  sanguinary  character"  of  the  warfare 
in  which  they  seemed  doomed  to  be  for  ever  engaged,  and  liarassed  by  con- 
stant watcbings. — seldom  taking  off  their  clothes  for  weeks  together. — the 
men  had  gradually  been  losing  their  energy  of  spirit,  in  the  contemplation  of 
the  alfiost  irremediable  v.-vils  b}'  which  they  were  beset ;  and  looked  forward 
with  sad  and  disheartening  conviction  to  a  fate,  that  all  things  tended  to  prove 
to  them  was  unavoidable,  however  the  period  of  its  consummation  might  be 
protracted.  Among  the  officers,  this  dejection,  although  proceeding  from  a 
different  cause,  was  no  less  prevalent ;  and  notwithstanding  they  sought  to 
di.sguise  it  before  their  men,  wlicn  left  to  themselves  they  gave  unlimited  rein 
to  a  despondency  hourh'  acquiring  strength,  as  the  day  fixed  on  for  the  second 
counc;il  with  the  Indians  drew  near. 

At  length  came  that  terrible  and  eventful  day,  ard,  as  if  in  mockery  «f 
those  who  saw  no  beaut}'  in  its  golden  beams,  arrayed  in  all  the  gorgeous  soft- 
ness of  its  autunnial  glorf.  Sad  and  heavy  >^'ere  the  hearts  of  many  within 
that  far  distanl  iuul  isulated  fort,  as  they  rose,  at  the  first  glimmering  of  light 
above  the  hoiizon,  to  ])repare  for  the  several  duties  assigned  t'lcm.  All  felt 
the  intiuence  of  a  feeling  that  laid  prostrate  the  moral  energi.s  even  of  the 
boldest:  but  there  was  one  young  officer  in  particular,  who  cxhihited  a  dejec- 
tion, degenerating  almost  into  stupefaction  ;  and  more  than  once,  when  he 
received  an  oriler  from  his  superior,  hesitated  as  one  who  either  heai-ii  not,  or. 
in  attempting  to  pei  rorm  ft,  mistook  the  ptirjiort  of  his  instructions,  and  exe- 
cut jd  some  ciitiicly  dillerent  duty.  The  eouTitcnainv  of  this  officer,  whoso 
attenuated  per.son  otherwi.se  boro  traces  of  huiguor  and  debility,  but  too 
plainly  marl<ed  the  abstracteflne.cs  nid  terror  of  his  mind,  wiii'e  the  .set  .stiff 
leatun's  am'  contracted  muscles  of  the  lace  contributed  to  j.'ivc  an  cxpi'cssion 
of  vacuity,  that  one  who  knew  hmi  not  fwght  luive  inter})reted  unfn  'vvably. 
Several  time--,  during  the  inspwtion  of  his  company  at  tlie  early  parade,  he 
was  seen  to  raise  his  head,  and  throw  r>rwarrl  his  ear,  a.s  if  evperting  to  catch 
the  colio  of  some  horrible  and  ap|)ariingcry.  until  the  men  themselves  remark' 
«d,  and  commented,  by  inttirehangc  of  looks,  on  the  .singular  conduct  of  their 
oflficer.  whose  thoughts  had  evidently  no  connection  with  t!ie  d  ity  he  was 
pcrfitrming.  or  the  >:pot  on  which  he  stood,       • 


n\ 


wacousta;'   or,   the    prophecy. 


00 


80 


When  this  customary  inspection  hnd  been  accomplished, — how  impcifectly, 
has  been  seen, — and  the  men  dismissed  from  their  ranks,  the  same  young 
ofTicer  was  observed,  by  one  who  followed  his  every  movement  with  interest, 
to  ascpnd  that  p.irt  o('  the  rampart  which  commanded  an  unbroken  view  or 
the  counfry.  \vest\\'ard,  from  the  point  where  the  encampment  of  the  Indians 
was  supposed  to  lie,  down  to  the  bridge  on  which  the  terrible  tragedy  of  Ilal- 
loway's  death  had  been  so  rc^cently  enacted.  Unconscious  of  the  presence  of 
two  sentinels,  who  moved  to  and  fro  near  their  respective  posts,  on  either  side 
of  liiui.  the  young  officer  folded  his  arms,  and  gazed  in  .that  direction  for  some 
minutes,  with  his  whole  soul  riveted  on  the  scfcne.  Then,  as  if  overcome  by 
recollections  called  up  bv  that  on  which  he  gazed,  he  covered  his  eyes  hur- 
riedly with  his  hands,  and  betrftyed,  by  the  convulsed  movement  of  his  slender 
form,  he  was  weeping  bitterly.  The  paroxysm  past,  he  uncovered  hfs  face, 
sank  with  one  knee  upon  the  ground,  and  upraising  his  clasped  hands,  as  if  in 
ai)peal  to  his  God.  seemed  to  pray  deeply  and  fervently.  In ,  thi»  attitude  he 
continued  for  some  moments,  when  he  became  sensible  of  the  approach  of  an 
intruder.  He  raised  himself  from  his  knee,  turned,  and  beheld  one  whose 
countenance  ^vfts  stamped  with  a  dejection  scarcely  inferior  to  his  own.  It 
was  Captain  Blessington. 

"  Charles,  my  dear  Charles  !"  exclaimed  tjie  latter  hurriedly,  as  he  laid  his 
hand  upon  the  sho\ilder  of  the  emaciated  De  Haldimar,  "consider  you  are  not 
alone.  F<^r  God's  sake,  check  this  weakness !  There  are  men  observing  you 
on  every  side,  and  your  strange  manner  has  already  been  tlie  subject  of  re- 
mark in  the  company." 

"  When  the  heart  is  sick,  like  mine,"  replied  the  youth,  in  a  tone  of  fearful 
despondency,."' it  is  alike  reckless  of  forms  and  careless  of  appearances.  I 
trust,  however,"  and  here  spoke  the  soldier,  "  there  are  few  within  this  fort 
who  will  believe  me  less  courageous,  because  I  have  been  seen  to  bend  ray 
knee  in  i^upplication  to  my  God.  I  did  not  think  that  you,  Blessington, 
would  have  been  the  first  to  condemn  the  act." 

"  I  condemn  it,  Charles !  you  mistake  me,  indeed  you  do,"  feelingly  returned 
his  captain,  secretly  pained  at  the  mild  reproach  contained  in  the  concluding 
sentence  ;  '"but  there  are  two  things  to  be  considered.  In  the  first- instance, 
the  lutn  who  are  yet  in  ignorance  of  the  great  evils  with  which  we  are  threat- 
ened, may  mistake  the  cause  of  ^-^our  agitation  ;  you  were  in  tears  just  now 
Charles,  and  the  sentinels  must  nave  remarked  it  as  well  as  myself.  I  would 
not  have  them  to  believe  that  one  of  th^ir  officers  was  alfectcd  by  the  antici- 
pation of  coming  disaster,  in  a  way  their  owti  hearts  are  incapable  of  estimat- 
ing. You  understand  me.  Charles  ?  I  would  not  have  them  too  much  dis- 
couraged b}'  an  example  tliat  may  become  infectious." 

"  I  do  understand  3'ou,  Blessingtron,"  and  a  forced  and  sickly  smile  played 
for  a  moment  over  the  wan  yet  handsome  features  of  t}ie  young  officer  ;  "you 
would  not  have  me  appear  a  weeping  cowai'd  in  their  eyes." 

"  Nay,  dear  Charles,  \  did  not  say  it." 

"  Rut  you  meant  it.  Hlossiugton  ;  yet.  think  not." — and  he  warmly  pressed 
the  hand  of  his  cfptaiu. — "  think  not,  1  repi-at.  I  take  your  hint  in  any  other 
than  the  fvieivlly  lip:ht  in  which  it  was  int('nd«>l.  That  T  have  been  no 
coward,  howi'vi-r.  1  h^pc  T  hav^  given  pvool'  uiorc  thi^n  once  before  the  men, 
most  of  M'tioni  have  known  me  from  my  cradle ;  yet,  whatever  tht-}-  may 
think,  is  to  lue.  a'  this  moincnt.  a  mattor  of  utter  indifference.  Bl(^5.sington," 
and  a;i:;iin  the  tears  roiled  fi'oni  his  iixod  eyes  over  his  i-heek,  while  he  pointed 
with  lus  Hnger  to  the  western  hoi-izon,  '  I  have  neither  thought  nor  feeling 
for  my.self;  my  whole  heart  lies  buried  tluTe.  ^h,  God  of  Heaven!"  he 
[lursued,  after  a  pause  and  a'rain  raising  h.s  !,>yes  ;u  supplication.  "  avert  th^ 
dri'iilful  destiny  that  awaits  my  beloved  sister." 

"  Charles.  Charles,  if  only  for  that  sister's  sjike,  then,  calm  an  agitation 
which,  if  thus  indulged  in.  will  assuredly  destroy  you.  All  will  yet  be  well. 
The  ilelay  t»l»taiued  by  your  fatlior  has  U-en  sufficient  for  the  purpose  proposed 


■>■■  U 


.,, 


i-'if  ?' 


,  (•■:■ 

'11 

t  \ 


•J 


■  ■i> 


'il 


I     *; 


go 


waoousta;  or,  the  prophboy. 


'i 


h  't-., 


:!■ 


^  -I 


i       *    ! 


■    j) 


Let  us  hope  for  the  best :  if  we  are  deceived  in  our  expectation,  it  will  then 
be  time  enough  to  indulge  in  a  grief,  which  coulU  scarctiy  bo  exceeded  were 
the  fearful  misgivings  of  your  mind  to  be  realized  before  your  eyes." 

"  Blessington,"  returned  the  young  officer, — and  his  features  exhibited  the 
livliest  image  of  despair,—"  all  hope  has  long  since  been  extinct  in  my  breast. 
See  you  yon  theatre  of  death  ?"  he  mournfully  pursued,  pointing  to  the  fa^ 
bridge,  which  was  thrown  into  full  relief  against  the  placid  bosom  of  the  De- 
troit :  "  recollect  you  the  scene  that  was  acted  on  it  ?  As  for  me.  it  is  ever 
yreSent  to  my  mind, — it  haunts  me  in  my  thoughts  by  day,  and  in  my  dreams 
by  night.  I  shall  never  forget  it  while  memory  Js  lefl  to  curse  me  with 
tht  power  of  retrospection.  On  the  very  spot  on  wb'^h  I  now  stand  was  I 
borri:^.  in  a  chair,  to  witness  the  dreadful  punishment;  you  see  the  stone  at 
my  fet  1. 1  marked  it  by  that.  I  saw  you  conduct  Halloway  to  the  centre  of 
the  bri(.i<^  ;  I  beheld  him  kneel  to  receive  his  death  ;  I  saw,  too,  the  terrible 
race  for  life  that  interrupted  the  proceedings ;  I  marked  the  sudden  up-spring 
of  Halloway  to  his  feet  upon  the  coffin,  and  the  exultjng  waving  of  his  hand, 
as  he  se'lmcd  to  recognise  the  rivals  for  mastery  in  the  race.  Then  v.'as  heard 
the  fatal  volley,  and  I  saw  the  death-struggle  of  him  who  had  saved  my  broiher'a 
life.  T  could  have  died,  too,  at  that  moment ;  and  would  to  Pi-ovidence  I  had  I 
but  it  was  otherwise  decreed.  My  aching  interest  wa^s,  for  a  moment,  diverted 
by  the  fearful  ohxse  now  renewed  upon  the  height ;  and,  in  common  with 
those  around  me,  \  watchedthe  efforts  of  the  pursuer  and  the  pursued  with 
painful  earnestness  and  d»ubt  as  to  the  final  resiUt.  Ali,  Blessington,  why- 
was  this  not  all  ?  The  terrible  shriek  uttered  ftt  the  moment  wh%n  the  fugi- 
tive fell,  apparently  doad,  at  the  feet  of  the  firing  part}',  reached  us  even  here. 
I  felt  as  if  my  heart  i)\ust  have  burst,  for  I  knew  it  to  be  the  shriek  of  poor 
Ellen  Halloway, — the  suffering  \yife, — the  broken-hearted  woman  who  had 
BO  recently  in  aJl  the  wi.'d  abandonment  of  her  grief,  wetted  my  pillow,  and 
even  my  check,  with  her  burning  tears,  while  supplicating  an  intercession  with 
my  father  for  mercy,  which  I  knew  it  would  be  utterly  fruitless  to  promise. 
The  discovery  of  lier  excliange  of  clothes  with  one  of  the  drum  boys  of  the 
grenadiers  was  made  soon  after  you  left  the  fort.  I  saw  her  leap  upoh  the 
coffin,  and  standing  over  the  body  of  her  unhappy  husband,  raise  her  hands 
to  heaven  in  adjuration,  and  my  heart  died  within  me.  I  recollected  the 
words  she  ha,^  spoken  on  a  previous  occasion,  during  the  rirst  examination  of 
Halloway,  ana  I  felt  it  to  be  the  prophetic  denunciation,  then  threatened,  that 
she  was  now  uttering  on  all  the  race  of  De  Haldimar.  I  saw  no  more,  Bless- 
ington. Sick,  diz7y,  and  with  every  fi\culty  of  my  mind  annihilated,  I  turned 
away  from  the  horrid  scene,  and  wasvaccain  borne  to  my  room."       ^ 

Captain  Blessington  was  deeply  afiectod ;  for  there  was  a  solenmity  in  the 
voice  of  the  young  officer  that  carried  coLviction  to  the  heart. 

The  attention  of  both  was  diverted  by  the  report  of  a  inu.sket  from  the^  rear 
of  the  fort.  Presently  afterwards,  the  word  was  passed  along  the  -"^hain  of 
sentinels  upon  the  ranipnrts,  that  the"  Indians  were  is.suing  in  force  from  the 
forest  upon  the  common  uour  the  bomb-proof.  Then  was  heard,  as  the  senti- 
nel at  the  gate  delivered  the  pass-word,  the  heavy  roll  of  the  drum  summon- 
ing to  arms. 

'•  Ha  !  here  already  !"  said  Captain  Blessington,  as,  glancing  towards  the 
forest,  he  bebeld  the  skirt  of  the  wood  now  alive  with  duskj-  liuman  forms: 
"  Ponteac's  visit  is  earlier  than  we  had  been  taught  to  expect ;  but  we  are  as 
well  prepared  to  receive  him  now  as  later  ;  and,  in  fact,  the  sooner  the  inter- 
view is  terminated,  the  sooner  we  shall  know  what  \-^e  have  to  depend  upon. 
Come,  Charles,  we  must  join  the  company,  and  let  ii\e  entreat  you  to  evince 
less  despondency  before  the  men.  It  is  hard,  I  know,  to  sustain  an  artificial 
character  under  such  disheartening  circumstances  ;  still,  for  example's  sake,  it 
must  be  done." 

"  What  I  can  J  will  do,  Blessington,"  rejoined  the  }  oiith,  as  they  both 
moved  from  the  ramparts ;     but  the  task  iSj^n  truth,  oi^e  to  which  I  find 


wacousta;  or,  the  prophecy. 


91 


myself  wholly  unequal.  How  do  T  know  that,  cvon  at  this  moment,  my  de- 
fenceless, terrified,  and  innocent  sister  may  not  be  invoking  themame  and  ann 
of  her  brother  to  save  her  from  destruction. 

"Trust  in  Providence.  Charles.  Even  although  oiu- worst  apprehensions 
be  realised,  as  1  fervently  trust  thiey  will  not,  your  sister  may  be  spared.  The 
Canadian  couid  not  have  Keen  unfaithful,  or  we  should  have  learnt  something 
of  his  Ireaclu'ry  from  the  Indians.  Another  week  will  confirm  us  in  the 
truth  or  fallncy  of  our  impression^s.  Until  then  let  us  arm  our  hearts  with 
hope.  Trust  me.  we  .shall  yet  see  the  laughing  eyes  of  Clara  fill  with  tears 
of  afTection,  as  I  recount  to  her  ail  her  too  sensitive  and  too  desponding  bro- 
ther has  suiffered  for  her  sake." 

De  Haldimar  xnsuU  no  reply.  Ho  deeply  felt  the  kind  intention  of  his  cap- 
tain, but  was  fi\r  from  cheri.shing  the  hope  that  had  been  recommended. 
He  sighed  heavily,  pressed  the  arm  on  which  he  leaned,  in  gratitude  for  the 
motive,  and  moved  .silently  with  his  friend  to  join  their  company  below  the 
rampart.        •,    •»  •«•  •  ^  >  .  «     ;vv*t    - 


1.     ' 


.'I  ; 


■{■:  ':  i 


'XiVi 


1^  "* 

5 


CHAP''    H  XV. 


V  no  more,  Bless- 


Mean WHILE  the  white  flag  had  again  beenri'&ised  by  the  Indians  upon  the 
bomb-proof;  and  this  having  been  reaihly  met  by  a  corresponding  signal  from 
the  fort,  a  numerous  V)and  of  savages  now  issued  from  the  cover  with  which 
their  dark  forms  had  hitherto  been  identified,  and  spread  themselves  far  and 
near  upon  the  common.  On  this  occasion  they  were  without  arms,  offensive 
or  defensive,  of  a-ny  kind,  if  we  may  except  the  knife  which  was  always  car- 
ried at  the  girdle,  and  which  constituted  a  part  rather  of  their  necessary  dress 
than  of  their  warlike  equipment.  1'hese  warriors  might  have  been  about  five 
hundred  in  number,  and  were  (composed  chiefly  of  picked  men  from  the  na- 
tions of  the  Ottawas.  the  Deia wares,  and  the  Shawanees  ;  each  race  being  dis- 
tinctly recognisable  from  the  others  by  certain  peculiarities  of  form  and  fea- 
ture which  iivlividualised.  if  we  may  so  term  it,  the  several  tribes.  Their 
only  covering  was  the  legging  before  described,  composed  in  some  instances 
of  cloth,  but  principally  of  smoked  deer.skin,  and  the  flap  that  passed  thi'ough 
the  girdle  aroiVad  the  loins,  by  which  the  straps  attached  to  the  leggings  were 
secured.  Their  bodies,  necks,  and  arms  were,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
flight  ornaments,  entirely  naked;  and  even  the  blanket,  that  served  them  as 
a  couvh  by  night  and  a  covering  by  day,  had,  with  one  single  exception,  been 
dispensed  with,  apparently  with  a  view  tv^  avoid  anything  like  encumbrance 
ai  their  approaching  sport.  Each  individual  was  provided  vsnth  a  stout  sap- 
ting  of  about  three  feet  in  length.  cur\'ed.  and  flattened  at  the  root  extremity, 
like  that  used  at  the  Irish  hurdle  ;  whicb-game,  in  fact,  the  manner  of  ball- 
playing  among  the  Indians  in  every  way  resembled. 

Interspersed  among  these  wariiors  were  a  nearly  equal  number  of  squaws. 
These  were  to  be  .s«tm  lounging  i-arelessly  about  m  small  groups,  and  were  of 
all  ages  ;  from  the  hoary-headed,  shi'ivelled-u.})  hag,  whose  eyes  still  sparkled 
with  a  fire  that  her  lank  and  attenuated  frame  denied,  to.  the  young  girl  of 
twelve,  whose  dark  and  glo^ving  cheek,  rounded  bust,  and  penetrating  glance, 
bore  striking  evidence  of  the  prec(X'iousness  of  Indian  beauty.  These  dattef 
looked  with  evident  interest  on  the  sports  of  the  young  warriors,  who,  tnroW' 
ing  down  tV  eir  hurdles,  citlier  vied  with  each  other  in  tlie  short  but  incredibly 
swift  foot-race,  or  indulge<l  themselves  in  wrestling  and  leaping;  while  their 
companions,  abandoned  to  the  fvdl  security  they  felt  to  be  attached  to  the 
^rhite  flag  waving  on  the  fort,  lay  at  their  lazy  length  upon  the  sward,  osten 
sib^y  following  the  movements  of  the  wveral  competitors  in  these  sjiorls,  but 
in  reali'^y  with  heart  and  ey«  directed  solely  to  the  fortification  that  lay  bo- 


■.   > . 


s^. 


^, 


^•V^, 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


A 


1.0 


I.I 


HI 


140 


2.0 


IL25  n  1.4 


m 


1.6 


'/ 


I^togrdphic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  WIST  MAIN  STRHT 

WIMTn.N.V.  MSM 

(7U)I73*4»0) 


^ 

V^^^ 

i^^' 

V 


^ 

*t^ . 

:^\^ 

*  .^B' 


^ 


A2 


WACOUSTA 


O  R 


THE  PROPHECY 


•'"( 


yond.  Ejieh  of  these  females,  in  addition  to  the  machocoti,  or  peti  /oat,  w  hich 
m  one  solid  sqnare  of  broaii-cloth  was  tightly  wrapped  around  the  loins,  also 
carried  a  blanket  loosely  thrown  around  the  person,  but  closely  confined  over 
the  shoulders  in  front,  and  reaching  below  the  knee.  There  was  an  air  of  con- 
straint in  (ieir  movements,  which  accorded  ill  with  the  occasion  of  festivity 
for  which  they  wore  assembled  ;  and  it  was  remarkable,  whether  it  arose  from 
deference  to  those  to  whom  they  wore  slaves,  as  well  as  wives  and  daughters, 
or  from  whatever  other  o^use  it  might  be,  none  of  them  ventured  to  recline 
themselves  upon  the  sward  in  imitation  of  the  warriors.  ■*• 

When  it  had  been  made  knowjn  to  the  governor  that  the  Indians  had  begun 
to  develope  themselves  in  force  upon  the  common  unarmed,  yet  redolent  with 
the  spirit  that  was  to  direct  their  meditated  sports,  the  soldiers  were  dismissed 
from  their  respective  companies  to  the  ramparts ;  where  they  were  now  to  be 
seen,  not  drawn  up  in  formidable  and  hostile  array,  but  collected  together  in 
careless  groups.  And  simply  in  their  side-arms.  This  reciprocation  of  con- 
fidence on  the  part  of  the  garrison  was  acknowledged  by  the  Indians  by 
marks  of  approbation,  expressed  as  much  by  the  sudden  and  classic  dfsposi- 
tipn  of  their  fine  forms  into  attitudes  strikingly  illustrative  of  their  atimiration 
and  pleasure,  as  by  the  interjectional  sounds  that  passed  from  one  to  the  other 
of  the  throng.  From  the  increased  alacrity  with  which  they  now  lent  them- 
selves to  the  preparatory  and  inferior  amusements  of  the  day,  it  was  evident 
their  sati.sfaction  was  complete'. 

Hitherto  the  principal  chiefs  had,  as  on  the  previous  occasion,  occupied  the 
bomb-proof;  and  now,  as  then,  they  appeared  to  be  deliberating  among  them- 
selves, but  evidently  in  a  more  energetic  and  serious  manner.  At  length  they 
separated,  when  Ponteac,  accompanied  by  the  chiefs  who  had  attended  him 
on  the  former  day,  once  more  led  in  the  direction  of  the  fort.  The  moment 
of  his  advance  was  the  signal  for  the  commencement  of  the  principal  game. 
In  an  in.stant  those  of  the  warriors  who  lay  reclining  on  the  sward  sprang 
to  their  feet,  while  the  wrestlers  and  racers  resumed  their  hurdles,  and  prepar- 
ed themselves  for,  the  trial  of  mingled  skill  and  swiftness.  At  first  they 
formed  a  den.se  grotip  in  the  centre  of  the  common ;  and  then,  diverging  in 
two  equal  files  both  to  the  right  and  to  the  left  of  the  immediate  centre, 
where  the  large  ball  was  placed,  formed  an  open  chain,  extending  from  the 
skirt  of  the  forest  to  the  commencement  of  the  village.  On  the  one  side  were 
ranged  the  Delawares  and  Shawanecs,  and  on  the  other  the  more  numerous 
nations  of  the  Ottawas.  The  women  of  these  several  tribes,  apparently  much 
interested  in  the  issue  of  an  amusement  in  which  the  manliness  and  activity 
of  their  respective  friends  were  staked,  had  gradually  and  imperceptibly  gain- 
ed the  front  of  the  fort,  where  they  were  now  huddled  in  groups,  at  about 
twenty  paces  from  the  drawbridge,  and  bending  eagerly  forward  to  comniand 
the  movements  of  the  ball-players. 

In  his  circuit  roiind  the  walls.  Ponteac  was  seen  to  remark  the  confiding 
appearance  of  the  unarmed  soldiery  with  a  satisfaction  that  was  not  sonrrht 
to  be  disguised  ;  and  from  the  manner  in  wlii.'h  ho  threw  his  glance  iiloii'!; 
eac^^  l^mv^  of  the  rampart,  it  was  evident  his  object  was  to  eiii1>r;ice  the  numeri- 
cal strength  collected  thel-c.  It  was  moreover  observed,  wIkii  he  pas.«<i'(l  the 
groiips  of  s(]uaws  on  his  way  to  the  gate,  he  addressed  some  words  in  a 
strange  tongue  to  the  elder  matrons  of  each. 

Once  more  the  dark  warriors  were  received  at  the  pate,  by  Major  HInrk  water ; 
•and,  as  with  firm  but  ela'-tic  trend,  they  moved  aem-is  the  s<]uare.  each  threw 
his  eyes  rapidly  an<l  an\ionsly  around,  and  with  less  of  com  cHlnient  in  lii^ 
manner  than  had  been  manifested  on  the  former  ocx-asion.  On  every  hand 
the  same  air  of  nakedtiess  and  dt'serti(M»  nietr  their  ijaze.  Not  even  a  soldier 
of  the  gimrd  was  to  be  seeti ;  and  when  tliey  cast  their  eyes  upwards  to  the 
windows  of  the  blo<-k-houses,  they  were  found  to  be  tenantless  a««  the  area 
through  which  they  passed.  A  gleam  of  fierce  satisfaction  pen-aded  th« 
swarthy  coiuUenancesof  the  Indians ;  and  the  features  of  Pontea*-.  in  particular 


• 


^t 


WACOU8TA 


OR,     THE      PROl'HBCV 


)at,  w  hicb 
loins,  also 
lined  over 
lir  of  con- 
f  festivity 
irosc  from 
daughters, 
to  rcclino 

s. 

had  begun 
olent  with 
!  dismissed 
now  to  be 
ogether  in 
)n  of  con- 
ndians  bjr 
sic  dtsposi- 
admiratioD 
0  the  other 
lent  them- 
V&8  evident 

xupied  the 

lonjir  them- 

ensth  tliev 

ended  him 

le  moment 

:ipal  game. 

ard  8pTan<r 

ind  prepar- 

first   they 

iverging  in 

ate  centre. 

g  from  the 

e  side  were 

!  numerous 

;ntly  much 

nd  activity 

itibly  gain- 

at  about 

nand 


conn 


confiding 
lot  soiicrlit 
ince  uloiii.^ 
le  numcri- 
I passed  llie 
I'ords  in  a 

In  rk  wilt  or; 
pnoh  threw 
lent  in  lii-^^ 
jvery  hand 
i\  n  soldier 
Irds  to  iho 
tl»e  area 
laded  th« 
■particular 


expressed  the  deepest  exultation.  Insttiad  of  leatling  his  party,  he  now  brought 
up  tlio  rear ;  and  when  airived  in  the  centre  of  the  fort,  he,  without  any  visi- 
ble cause  for  the  accident,  stumbled,  and  fell  to  the  earth.  The  other  chiefs 
for  the  moment  lest  .^i):ht  ol -their  onlinary  gravity,  and  marked  their  sense  • 
of  the  circumstance  by  a  prolonged  .sound,  partaking  of  the  mingled  charac- 
ter of  a  laugh  and  a  yd'..  Startled  at  the  cry.  Major  Blackwatcr,  wlio  was  in 
front,  turned  to  ascertain  the  i;ause.  At  that  moment  Ponleac  sprani;-  lightly 
jigiiin  to  his  feet,  respond  in.'  to  the  yell  of  his  confederates  by  another  even 
more  startling,  tierce,  ami  prolonged  than  their  own.  lie  then  stalked  proud- 
ly to  the  head  of  the  party.  a}:.d  even  preceded  Major  Blackwater  into  the 
eoimcil  room. 

In  this  rude  theatre  of  (^onferynce  some  changes  had  been  made  since  their 
recent  visit,  which  escaped  not  the  observation  of  the  quick-sighted  chiefs.  * 
Their  mats  lay  in  the  position  they  had  previously  occupied,  and  the  chairs 
of  the  offiei^rs  were  placed  as  hefore,  but  the  room  itself  had  been  considerably 
enlarged.  The  slight  partition  terminating  the  interior  extremity  of  the 
ravs^-room.  and  dividing  it  from  that  of  one  of  the  oflicers,  had  been  removed  ; 
ami  mid  way  through  this,  e.xtomiing  entirely  across,  was  drawn  a  curtain  of 
scarlet  cloth,  against  Mdiich  the  imposing  figure  of  the  governor,  elevated  as 
■  his  .seat  was  abof  c  those  of  the  other  ollicers,  was  thrown  into  strong  relief. 
There  was  another  change,  that  escaped  not  the  observation  of  tho  Indians, 
and  that  was,  not  more  th:!n  one  half  of  tlie  officers  who  had  been  pre.scnt  at 
the  first  conference  were  now  in  the  room.  Of  these  latter,  one  had,  more- 
over, been  sent  away  by  the  governor  the  moment  the  chiefs  were  ushered  in. 

'■  Ugh  1"  ejaculated  the  proud  leader,  as  he  took  his  seat  uncei'emoniously. 
lui'l  yet  not  without  reluctance,  upon  the  mat.  '■  The  council-room  of  my 
fiither,  is  bigger  than  when  the  Ottaw^a  was  here  before,  yet  the  number  of  his 
chiefs  is  not  .so  many.V  j 

'•  Tlu'  givat  chief  of  the  (Jttawas  knows  that  the  Saganaw  has  ptomised  the 
red  skins  a  fea.st,"  returned  the  governor.  "  Were  he  to  leave  it  to  hiu  yomig 
wiu  riors  to  provide  it,  he  wouhl  not  be  able  to  receive  the  Ottawa  like  a  great 
rlii'f  and  to  make  peace  with  him  as  he  could  wisii." 

''  M<-  father  has  a  great  deal  of  doth,  red,  like  the  blood  of  a  pale  face," 
inirsued  the  Indian,  rather  in  demand  than  in  ob.servation,  as  ho  pointed  with 
Ills  linger  to  the  oppo.site  end  of  the  room.  "'  When  the  Ottawa  was  here  last, 
he  did  not  see  it." 

'■  The  great  cliief  of  the  Ottawas  knows  that  the  great  father  of  the  Satra- 
naw  has  a  big  hear^  to  make  presents  to  the  red  skins.  The  cloth  the 
Ottawa  sees  there  is  suthcient  to  make  leggings  for  the  chiefs  of  all  the  na- 
tions," 

.\p|)arently  satisfied  with  this  reply,  the  fierce  Indian  sttercd  one  of  his 
strong  guttural  and  a.s.sentient  "  ughs,"  and  then  cotnmen<n;d  filling  the  pipe 
of  peacAj.  correct  on  the  present  occasion  in  all  its  ornaments,  which  was 
handed  to  him  by  the  l)t;l»ware  chief.  It  was  remarked  by  the  oflicers  this 
oponviion  took  up  an  unusually  long  portion  of  his  time,  an  I  that  he  frequently 
turned  his  ear,  hko  a  horso  stirred  by  the  huntsman's  h(  rn,  with  quick  and 
irn»pre,s.sible  eagerness  towards  the  door. 

''  The  pale  warrior,  the  friend  of  the  Ottawa  "chief,  is  not  here,"  said  the 
povi  rnor,  as  he  glanced  his  eye  along  the  semicircle  of  Indians.  •'  IIow  is 
thiH  /  Is  his  voice  still  sick,  tliat  he  cannot  come  ;  or  han  the  great  chief  of 
the  Ottawas  forgotten  to  tell  him  ?" 

''  The  voice  of  the  pale  warrior  is  still  sick,  and  ho  cannot  speak,"  replied ' 
the  Indian.     "  The  Ottawa  chief  is  very  sorry  ;  for  the  tongue  of  his  friend 
the  pale  face  is  full  of  wisdom." 

Scanx'ly  bad  the  last  words  escaped  his  lips,  when  a  wild  shrill  cry  from 
without  the  fort  rang  on  the  ears  of  the  assembled  council,  and  caused  a  mu- 
tncntary  commotion  among  the  ofiicexs.  It  arose  fiom  a  simple  voice,  and  that 
»oic«*  c»uld  not  be  mistaken  b\  any  who  had  heard  it  once  before.     A  second 


^■"^.,:A 


^:^^:!■ 


«... 


»    .■  ■ 


I 
t   • 


I. 


'» 


1 


m 


r 


.-'it 


'« 


V 


04 


wacousta;    or     the    propiikov 


or  two,  during  which  the  oflRcers  and  chiefs  kept  their  eyes  intently  fixed  on 
each  other,  pa«sed  anxiously  away,  and  then  nearer  to  the  gate,  api)arently 
on  the  very  drawhridfje  itself,  was  pealed  forth  the  wMld  and  (leafcninj;  yell  of 
a  legion  of  'levilish  voices.  At  that  sound,  the  Ottawa  and  the  other  chitf^- 
sprang  to  their  feet,  and  their  own  fierce  cr}'  responded  to  that  yet  vihrating 
on  the  cars  of  all.  Already  were  their  gleaming  tomahawks  brandished 
wildly  over  their  heads,  and  Pontenc  had  even  l)Ounderl  a  pace  forward  to 
reach  the  governor  with  the  deadl/  weapon,  when  at  the  sudden  stamping  of 
the  foot  of  the  latter  upon  the  floor,  the  scar\et  cloth  in  the  rear  was  throwr 
aside,  and  twenty  soldiers,  their  eyes  glancing  along  the  baircls  of  theii 
levelled  muskets,  met  the  startleil  gaze  of  the  astonished  Indians. 

An  instant  was  enough  to  satisfy'  the  keen  chief  of  the  true  state  of  the  case. 
The  calm  composed  mien  of  the  ofticers.  not  one  of  whom  had  even  attempted 
to  quit  his  seat,  amid  the  din  by  which  his  ears  were  so  alarmingly  assuiicd. — 
the  triumphant,  yet  dignified,  and  even  severe  expression  of  the  gov*  nor'a 
countenance ;  and"  above  all,  the  unexpected  presence  of  the  prepared  soldiery. — 
all  these  at  once  assured  him  of  the  discovery  of  his  treachery,  and  the  danger 
that  awaited  him.  The  necessity  for  an  immediate  attempt  to  join  his  war- 
riors without,  was  now  obvious  to  the  Ottawa ;  and  scarcely  had  he  conceived 
the  idea  before  it  was  sought  to  be  executed.  In  a  single  spring  he  gained 
the  door  of  the  mess-room,  and,  followed  eagerly  and  tumultuously  by  the 
other  chiefs,  to  whose  departure  no  opposition  Was  oO'ered,  in  the  next  moment 
stood  on  the  steps  of  the  piazza  that  ran  along  the  front  of  the  building 
whence  he  had  issued. 

The  surprise  of  the  Indians  on  reaching  this  poii^  was  now  too  powerful  to 
be  dissembled ;  and,  incapable  either  of  advancing  or  receding,  they  remained 
gazin'g  on  the  scene  before  them  with  an  air  of  mingled  stupefkction.  rage,  and 
alarm.  Scarcely  ten  minutes  had  elapsed  since  they  had  proualy  strode 
through  the  naked  area  of  the  fort,  and  yet,  even  in  that  short  space  of  timo, 
its  appearance  had  been  entirely  change(l.  Not  a  nart  was  there  now  of  the 
surrounding  buildings  that  was  not  redolent  with  human  life,  and  host  le 
preparation.  Through  every  window  of  the  officers'  low  rooms,  was  to  be 
seen  the  dark  and  frowning  muzzle  of  a  field-piece,  bearing  ujpon  the  gateway ; 
and  behind  these  were  artillerj'men,  holding  their  lighted  matches,  supported 
again  by  files  of  bayonets,  that  glittered  in  their  rear.  In  the  Hock-houses 
the  same  formid'ible  array  of  field-pieces  and  nuiskets  was  visible;  while  from 
the  four  angles  of  the  square,  as  many  heavy  gims,  that  had  been  artfully 
masked  at  the  entrance  of  the  chiefs,  seemed  ready  to  sweep  away  every  thing 
that  should  come  before  them.  The  guartl-room  near  the  gate  presented  the- 
same  hostile  front.  The  doors  of  this,  as  well  as  of  the  other  buildings,  had 
been  firmly  secured  within ;  but  frojn  every  window  afibrding  cover  to  the 
troops,  gleamed  a  line  of  bayonets  rising  altovv-*  the  threatening  field-pieces, 
poinletl.  at  a  distance  of  little  more  than  twelve  feet,  <lirectly  upon  the  gate- 
way. In  addition  to  his  musket,  each  man  of  the  guard  moreover  held  a  hand 
grenade,  provided  with  a  short  fuze  that  couhl  be  ignited  in  a  moment  from 
the  matches  of  the  gunners,  and  with  immediate  effect.  The  soldiers  in  the 
block-houses  were  similarly  provide<l. 

Almost  magical  as  was  tne  change  thus  suddenly  effected  in  the  appearanc« 
of  the  garrison,  it  was  not  the  most  interesting  feature  in  the  excitmg  scene. 
Choking  up  the  gateway,  in  which  they  were  completely  we<lgcd,  and  crowd- 
ing the  drawbridge,  a  dense  mass  of  <lusky  Indians  were  to  be  seen  castirig 
their  fierce  glances  around :  yet  paralysed  in  their  movements  by  the  nnlookcd- 
for  display  of  a  resisting  force,  threatening  instant  annihilation  to  those  who 
should  attempt  either  to  advance  or  U»  recede.  Never,  perhaps,  was  astonish- 
ment and  disappointment  more  forcibly  depicted  on  the  human  countenance, 
than  M  they  were  now  exhibited  by  these  liicn,  who  had  already,  in  imagina- 
tion, secured  to  themselves  an  easy  conquest.  They  were  the  warriors  who 
had  so  recently  b'«n  engaged  in  the  mtoljr  yet  innooent  exercise  of  the  ball  t 


0 


n 


wacousta;    or,    the    prophecy 


•.  i' 


DU^  instctul  of  the  harmless  hurdle,  each  nowciirriod  a  short  j^un  in  ono  hand 
ftr,(l  a  gleajuinf;  tomahawk  hi  tht  other.  After  the  first  pciionil  ycllin^r  h<'ard 
'tt  the  council-room  not  a  sound  was  uttered.  Tlu>ir  burst  of'nifre  and 
triumph  had  evidently  been  checke<l  by  the  unexpected  uiamier  of  their 
reception,  and  they  now  stood  on  the  spot  on  which  the  further  a<lvance  of 
eacli  had  been  arrested,  s«>  silent  anJ  motionless,  that,  but  for  the  rollinj;  of 
their  dark  eyes,  as  they  kcvnly  measured  the  insurmoun^ble  ba'TJers  that  ' 
were  opposetj  to  their  progress,  they  mi};ht  almost  have  been  taken  for  a  wild 
group  of  statuary.  '  , 

Conspicuous  at  the  head  of  these  was  he  who  wore  the  blanket ;  a  tall  war- 
rior, on  whom  rested  the  startled  eye  of  every  ollicef  and  .soldier  who  was  so 
.situated  as  to  behold  him.  His  face  was  pamted  black  as  death  ;  and  as  he 
Ntuod  under  the  arch  of  the  gsiteway,  with  his  white  turbaned  head  towering 
far  above  those  of  his  con4)anions,  this  fijrmidable  and  mysterious  enemy  . 
mi}:ht  have  been  likened  to  the  spirit  of  darkness  presiding  over  his  terrible 
U'gions. 

In  order  to  account  for  the  e.\traordinary  appearance  of  the  Indians,  armed 
m  every  way  for  death,  at  a  moment  when  neither  gun  nor  tomaliawk  was 
apparently  within  miles  of  their  reach,  it  will  be  necessary  to  revert  to  the 
ih.st  entrance  of  the  chiefs  into  the  fort.  '  The  fall  of  Ponteac  had  been  the 
effect  of  design ;  and  the  yell  pealed  forth  by  him,  on  recovering  his  feet,  as 
if  in  taunting  reply  to  the  laugh  of  his  comnMies,  was  in  reality  a  signal  in- 
tended for  the  guidance  of  the  Indians  without.  These,  now  following  up 
their  game  with  increasing  spirit,  at  once  changed  the  direction  of  their  lint, 
bringing  the  ball  nearer  to  the  fort.  In  their  eagerness  to  effect  this  object, 
they  had  overlooked  the  gradual  secession  of  the  unarmed  troops,  spectators 
of  their  sport,  from  the  ramparts,  until  scarcely  more  than  twenty  straggleri 
were  left.  As  khey  neared  the  gate,  the  squaws  broke  up  their  several  groups, 
and,  forming  a  lino  on  either  hand  of  the  road  leading  to  the  drawbridge,  ap- ' 

1>eared  to  Separate  solely  with  a  view  not  to  impede  tno  action  of  the  players. 
<^0T  an  instant  a  dense  group  collected  around  the  ball,  which  had  been  driven 
to  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  gate,  and  flfty  hurdles  were  crossed  in  their 
endeavors  to  secure  it,  when  the  warrior,  who  formed  the  solitar}'  exception 
to  the  multitude,  in  his  blanket  covering,  and  who  had  biH>n  lingering  in  the 
extreme  rear  of  the  party,  came  rapidly  up  to  the  spot  where  the  well-affected 
struggle  was  maintained.  At  his  approach,  the  hurdles  of  the  other  playera 
were  withdrawn,  when,  at  a  single  blow  of  his  powerful  arm,  the  ball  waa 
swn  tlying  into  the  air  in  an  oblique  direction,  and  was  for  a  moment  lost  al- 
to;?ether  to  the  view.  When  it  again  met  the  eye,  it  was  descending  perpen- 
dicularly into  the  very  centre  of  the  fort.  • 
With  the  Uoetness  of  thought  now  commenced  a  race  that  hn<l  ostensibly 
for  its  object  the  recovery  of  the  l(ft»t  ball ;  and  in  which,  he  who  had  driven 
It  with  such  resistless  force,  outstripped  tliem  all.  Their  course  lay  between 
the  two  lines  of  squaws  ;  and  scarcely  had  the  heads  of  the  bounding  Indians 
reached  the  opposite  extremity  of  those  lines,  when  the  women  suddenly 
threw  back  their  blankets,  and  di.-Jclosed  each  a  short  gtm  and  a  tomahawk. 
To  throw  away  their  hurdles  and  seize  upon  these,  v^oh  the  work  of  an  in- 
stant.  Alreaefy,  in  imagination,  was  the  fort  their  own  ;  and,  such  was  the 
peculiar  exultation  of  the  black  and  turbaned  warrior,  when  he  felt  the  plankit 
«€  the  drawbridge  bending  beneath  his  fi>et,  all  the  ferocious  joy  of  his  soul 
was  pealed  forth  in  the  terrible  cry  which,  rapidly  succeeded  by  that  of  the 
other  Indians,  had  resounded  so  fearfull^y  through  the  council  room.  What 
their  disappointment  was,  when,  on  gainmg  the  mtcrior,  they  found  the  garri- 
son prepared  for  their  reception,  has  already  been  shown. 

'  Secure  that  traitor,  men  1"  exclaimed  the  ^vemor,  advancing  into  th« 
square,  and  pointing,  to  the  black  warrior,  whos„  quick  eye  was  now  glancin* 
on  eTery  side,  to  discover  some  assailable  point  in  the  forraidable  defences  or 
the  troopc 


Vi^ 


4,    '■■ 


.4 


ll    I" 


>H 


'  ii 


I 


^# 


96 


wacousta;  OB,  the  prophecy. 


JT' 


n 


Ik 


A  liiugh  of  scorn  an<l  derision  escaped  the  lips  of  the  warrior.  •'  Is  there  a 
man — arc  there  any  ten  men,  even  with  Governor  de  Flaldimar  at  their  head, 
who  will  be  hold  enough  to  attempt  it?"  he  asked.  ''Nay!"  he  pursued- 
stepping-  holdly  a  ])ace  or  two  in  front  of  the  wondering  savages, — "here  I 
stand  sinjrly.  and  jkfy  your  wiiolc  frarrison  !" 

A  sudden  movement  amon^  ihe  soldiers  in  the  j.',uard-room  announced  they 
were  preparim:'  to  execute  the  order  of  their  chief.  The  eye  of  the  black 
warrior  sparkled  with  ferocious  phsisure  ;  and  he  made  a  gesture  to  his  fol- 
lowers, tvhicli  \v:i.>  replied  to  hy  the  sudden  tension  of  their  hitherto  relaxed 
forms  into  atti(ud"sof  expectance  nn'l  preparation. 

'•  Stay,  men  ;  <|uit  not  your  covi>r  for  your  lives  !"  commanded  thegoremor 
in  a  lou«l  deep  voice : — "^  keep  the  barricades  fast,  and  move  not." 

A  cloud  of  an^;er  and  disappointment  passed  over  the  features  o4».the  black 
warrior.  It  was  evident  the  object  of  hi.s  bravado  was  to  draw  the  troops 
from  their  defences,  that  they  might  be  so  mingled  withjtheir  enemies  as  to 
render  the  camion  useless,  tmlcss  friends  and  foes  f  which  was  by  no  means 
pro)i!\b]e)  should  alike  be  sacrificed.  The  governor  nad  penetrated  the  design 
in  tiuie  to  prevent  the  mischief. 

In  a  moment  of  uncontrollable  rage,  the  savage  warrior  aimed  his  tomahawk 
at  the  head  of  the  governor.  The  latter  stepped  lightly  aside,  and  the  steel 
sank  with  .^ich  force  into  one  of  the  posts  supporting  the  piaz/^i,  that  tlte 
(piivorin^  handle  snapped  close  off  at  its  head.  At  that  moment,  a  single  shot, 
fij-et!  from  the  guard-house,  was  drowned  in  the  yell  of  approbation  which 
bur.<t  from  the  lips  of  the  dark  crowd.  The  tui-ban  of  the  warrior  was,  how- 
evej;  seen  Hying  through  the  air,  cari-ied  away  by  the  force  of  the  bullet  which 
had  torn  it  from  liis  head.     lie  himself  was  unharmed. 

"  A  narrow  escape  for  us  both.  Colonel  dp  Ilaldimar,"  he  observeil,  as  soon 
as  the  yell  had  subsided,  and  with  an  air  of  the  most  perfect  unconcern. 
"  Iliid  iny  tomahawk  obeyed  the  first  impulse  of  my  heart,  I  should  hare 
cursed  myself  and  died:  as  it  is,  I  have  rea.son  to  avoid  all  Useless  exposure 
of  my  own  Ufe,  at  present.  A  second  bullet  may  be  better  directed  ;  a^id  to 
die,  robbed  of  my  revenge,  would  ill  answer  the  purpose  of  a  life  devoted  to  its 
attainment.     Remember  my  pledge !"  . 

At  the  hasty  command  of  the  governor,  a  hmulrea  mu.skets  were  raised  to 
the  shoulders  of  his  men  ;  but,  before  a  single  eye  could  glance  along  the  bar- 
rel, the  formidable  and  active  warrior  had  bounded  over  the  heads  of  the  near- 
est Indians  into  a  small  space  that  was  left  unoccjipied ;  when,  stooping  sud- 
denly to  the  earth,  he  disappeared  altogether  frOm  the  view  of  his  enemies. 
A  slight  moving  in  the  centre  of  the  numerous  band  crowding  the  gateway,  and  • 
extending  even  beyond  the  bridge,  was  now  discernible :  it  was  like  the  waving 
of  a  Ueld  of  stantling  corn,  through  which  some  animal  rapidly  winds  its  tor- 
tuous course,  bending  aside  as  the  object  advances,  and  closing  again  when  it 
has  passed.  After  the  lapse  of  a  minute,  the  terrfblo  warrior  was  seen  to 
spring  a^'^ain  to  his  feet,  far  in  the  rear  of  the  band  ;  and  then,  uttering  a  fierce  ,  • 
shout  of  exultation,  to  make  good  his  retreat  towards  the  forest. 

Meanwhile,  Ponteac  and  the  other  chiefs  of  the  council  continued  rooted  to 
the  piazza  on  which  they  had  rushed  at  the  imexp'^cted  display  of  the  anned 
men  behind  the  scarlet  curtain.  The  loud  "  Waugn  "  that  burst  from  the  lips 
of  all,  on  finding  themHves  thus  foiled  in  their  schemes  of  massacre,  had  been 
8U0ct»eded.  the  instant  alterwards,  by  feelings  of  personal  apprehension,  which 
each,  however,  had  collectedness  enough  to  di.sguise.  Once  the  Ottawa  made 
a  movouienl  as  if  he  would  have  cleared  the  space  that  kept  him  from  his  war- 
riors ;  but  the  craphatical  pointing  of  the  finger  of  Colonel  <le  Ilaldimar  to  the 
levelled  muskets  of  the  men  in  tlie  Ijlock-houscs  prevented  him.  and  the  at- 
tempt was  not  re{)oated.  It  was  remarked  by  the  officers,  .who  aJsp  stood  on 
the  piazza,  close  behind  the  chiefs,  when  the  blfck  warrior  throw  his  toma- 
hawk at  the  governor,  a  shade  of  displeasure  passed  over  the  features  of  the 
Ottawa ;  and  that,  when  he  found  ttie  darihg  attempt  was  not  retaliated  oa 


f^ 


WACOUSTA 


O  R 


THE      PROPHECY 


97 


le  lips 
been 
hich 
made 
war- 
o  the 
le  at- 
>d  on 
oma- 
f  the 
sdom 


his  people,  his  countenance  had  beeu  nioiuentarily  lighted  up  with  a  satisfled 
fxprcssion,  ap{>u  ••■iitly  marking  his  sense  of  forlwarance  so  unexpectedly 
shown. 

''  What  says  t  ic  great  chief  of  the  Oltawas  now  ?"  asked  the  governor, 
calmly,  and  breaking  a  profound  silence  that  had  succeeded  to  the  last  fierce 
yell  of  the  formidable  being  just  departed.  "  Was  the  Saganaw  not  right, 
when  he  said  the  Oltawa  came  with  guile  in  his  heart,  and  a  lie  upon  his  lips? 
Bui  the  Saganaw  is  not  a  fool,  and  he  can  read  the  thouglits  of  his  enemies 
upon  their  fac(^s,  and  long  before  their  lips  have  spoken." 

••  Ugh !"  ejaculated  the  Indian :  "  my  fatlier  is  a  great  chief,  and  his  head  is 
ftill  of  wisdom.  Had  he  been  feeble,  like  the  other  rfiicfs  of  tlie  Saganaw.  the 
stronghold  of  the  Detioit  must  have  fallen,  and  the  nnl  skins^would  nave 
cbnced  their  war  dance  rotnid  the  scalps  of  his  young  men,  even  in  the  coun'cil 
room  where  the3'  came  to  talk  of  |H?ace.' 

'  Does  the  great  chief  of  the  Ottawas  see  the  big  thunder  of  the  Saganaw?" 
pursued  the  governor:  "if  not,  let  him  open  his  eyes  and  look.  The  Saganaw 
has  but  to  move  his  lips,  and  swifter  than  the  lightning  would  the  pale  faces 
sweep  away  the  warriors  of  the  Ottawa,  even  where  they  now  stand:  in  less 
time  than  the  Saganaw  is  now  siK'uking.  would  they  mow  them  down  like  the 
gra.ss  of  the  prarrie." 

•  Ugh  !"  again  exclaimed  tht  chief,  with  mixed  doggedness  and  fierceness : 
'•  if  wiiat  my  father  says  is  true,  why  does  he  not  pour  out  his  anger  upon  the 
red  skin.^  ?" 

"  liCt  the  great  chief  of  the  Ottawas  listen,"  replied  th*  governor  with  dig- 
nity. "When  the  great  chiefs  of  all  the  nations  tliat  are  in  league  with  the 
Ottawas  came  last  to  the  council,  the  Saganaw,knew  that  they  carried  deceit  in 
their  hearts,  and  that  the}'  never  meant  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace,  oi*  to  bury 
the  hatchet  in  the  ground.  TIib  Saganaw  mijiht  baye  kept  them  prisoners, 
that  their  warriors  might  be  without  a  head  ;  but  he  had  given  his  word  to 
the  great  chief  of  the  Ottawas.  and  the  word  of  a  Saganaw  is  never  broken. 
Even  now,  while  both  the  chiefs  arfd  the  warriors  arc  in  his  power,  he  will  not 
slay  them,  for  he  wishes  to  show  the  Ottawa  the  desire  of  the  Saganaw  is  to 
be  friendly  with  the  red  skins,  and  not  to  clestroy  them.  Wicked  men  from 
tho  Canadas  have  whispered  lies  in  the  ear  of  the  Ottawa ;  %\ii  a  great  chief 
should  judge  for  himself,  and  take  council  only  from  the  wisdom  of  his  own 
heart  The  Ottawa  and  liis  warriors  may  go,"  he  n».sumed,  after  a  short  pause; 
"  tho  path  by  which  they  came  is  again  open  to  them.  Lot  them  depart  in 
peace  ;  tho  big  thunder  of  the  Saganaw  shall  not  harm  them." 

The  countenance  of  the  Indian,  who  had  clearly  seen  the  danger  of  his  posi- 
tion, wore  an  expression  of  surprise  which  coild  not  be  dissembled :  low  ex- 
clamations passed  between  him  and  his  companions ;  and,  then  pointing  to  tho 
tomahawk  that  lay  half  buried  in  the  wood,  he  said,  doubtingly, — 

"  It  was  tho  pale  face,  the  friend  of  the  groat  chief  of  the  Ottawas,  who 
struck  tho  hatchet  at  my  father.  The  Ottawa  i.^  not  a  fool  to  believe  the 
Saganaw  can  sleep  without  revenge." 

"  The  great  chief  of  tho  Ottawas  shall  know  us  better,"  was  the  r»  ply. 
"  Tho  young  warriors  of  the  Saganaiv  roi^hf^Jestroy  their  enemies  where  they 
now  stand,  but  they  seek  not  their  blood.  When  the  Ottawa  chief  takes 
council  from  his  own  heart,  and  not  from  the  lips  of  a  cowardly  dog  of  a  palo 
face,  who  strikes  his  tomahawk  and  then  flies,  his  wisdom  will  tell  him  to 
make  peace  with  tho  Saganaw.  whose  vrarriors  are  without  treachery,  even  as 
thev  are  without  fear." 

Another  of  those  deep  interjeoiioual  ''  ughs  "  escaped  the  chest  of  th«  proud 
Indian. 

"  What  my  lather  says  is  good,"  he  retiu^ed ;  "  but  the  pale  fhce  is  a  great 
warrior,  and  the  Ottawa  chief  is  his  friend.    -The  Ottawa  will  |*o." 

He  t!ien  addressed  a  few  sentences,  in  a  tongue  unknowli  to  the  officers,  to  th« 
•wartLy  and  anxious  crowd  in  flront.    These  were  answered  by  a  low,  sullen, 


■it 


I 


( I 


1^ 


t 


'% 


J 


<^ 


98 


waoouita;    oH,    thb    prophbot. 


i 


■  ir  ■    ' 

4,  '•■ 


yet  assentient  grunt,  from  the  united  band,  who  now  ttimed.  thonph  with  jus 
tifiable  caution  and  distrust,  and  rccrossod  the  drawhridfrc  withoul  hindurniK'* 
from  the  troops.  Pontcac  waited  until  the  last  Indian  liad  (K-partod.  and  then 
making  a  movement  to  the  governor,  whidi,  will)  all  ris  liativditim-ss,  was 
meant  to  mark  his  sense  of  the  forbearance  and  {rood  faith  llial  had  been  iMani- 
fcstcd,  once  more  Ktalk«»d  proudly  and  candy  acjr.ss  llie  area,  followed  by  the 
remainder  of  Iho  chiefs.  'I'he  oHiccrs  who  were  with  the  jroviVnor  aseeijded 
to  the  ramparts,  to  follow  their  movements  ;  and  it  was  not  liefore  their  report 
had  been  made  that  the  Indians  were  immer;:in<;  once  more  into  the  heart  of 
the  forest,  the  troops  were  withdrawn  from  their  formidable  defences,  and  the 
gate  of  the  fort  again  firmly  secured. 


CHAPTER  XVT.  '        I  :* 

While  the  reader  is  left  to  pause  over  the  rapid  succession  of  incidents 
resulting  from  the  mysterious  entrance  of  the  warrior  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis  into 
the  English  fort,  be  it  our  task  to  explain  the  circumstances  coimected  with 
the  singular  disappearance  of  Captain  de  Ilaldimar,  and  the  mehmcholy  mur- 
der of  his  unfortunate  servant. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  the  ill-fated  Ilalloway,  in  the  course  of  his  de- 
fence before  the  court  uiartial  distinctly  Stated  the  voice  of  the  individual  who 
had  approached  his  post,  calling  on  the  name  of  Captain  de  Ilaldimar,  on  the 
night  of  the  alarm,  to  havtf  been  that  of  a  female,  and  that  the  language  in 
which  they  subsequently  conversed  was  that  of  the  Ottawa  Indians.  This 
was  strictly  the  fact ;  and  the  only  error  into  which  the  unfortunate  soldier 
lia<l  fallen,  liad  reference  merely  to  the  character  and  motives  of  the  party. 
Ue  had  naturally  imagined,  as  he  had  ^ated,  it  was  some  young  female  of  the 
Tillage,  whom  attachment  for  his  officer  had  driven  to  the  desperate  determi- 
nation of  seeking  an  interview;  nor  was  this  impression  at  all  weakened  by 
the  subscqu^t  discourse  of  the  parties  in  the  Indian  tongue,  with  which  it 
was  well  known,  most  of  the  Canadians,  both  male  and  female,  were  more  or 
less  conversant.  The  object  of  that  short,  low,  and'  hurried  conference  yas 
indeed,  one  that  \fiill  warranted  the  singular  intrusion;  and,  in  the  declara- 
tion of  Ilallowaj',  we  have  already  seen  the  importance  and  anxiety  attached 
by  the  young  officer  to  the  communication.  Without  waiting  to  repeat  the 
motives  assigned  for  his  departure,  and  the  prayers  and  cxpostidations  to 
which  hs  had  recourse  to  overcome  the  determination  and  sense  of  duty  of  the 
unfortunate  .sentinel,  let  us  pa.ss  at  once  to  the  moment  when,  after  having 
cleared  the  ditch,  conjointly  with  his  faithful  follower,  in  the  manner  already 
fdiown,  Captain  de  Ilaldimar  first  stood  side  by  side  with  his  midnight  visi- 
tant. 

The  night,  it  has  elsewhere  been  observc<l,  was  clear  and  starry,  so  that  ob- 
jects upon  the  common,  such  as  the  rude  stump  that  here  and  there  raised  its 
dark  low  head  above  the  surface,  might  be  dindy  seen  in  the  distance.  To 
obviate  the  danger  of  discovery  by  the  sentinels,  api>('ared  to  be  the  first  stiidy 
of  the  female ;  for,  when  Captain  de  Ilahhmar,  followed  by  his  servant,  had 
reachwl  the  spot  on  which  she  stood,  sh.e  put  llic  forefinger  of  one  hand  to  her 
lips,  anu  with  the  other  pointed  to  his  booted  foot.  A  corresponding  signal 
showed  that  the  lightness  of  the  material  oflercd  little  risk  of  betrayal,  po- 
nellan,  however,  was  made  to  doff  his  heavy  ammunition  shoes;  and,  with 
this  precaution,  they  all  stole  hastily  along,  under  the  shallows  of  the  project- 
ing ramparts,  until  they  had  gained  the  extreme  rear.  Here  the  female  sud- 
denly raised  her ^11  figure  fiom  the  stooping  position  in  which  she.  as  well  as 
her  contpanions,  had  performed  the  dangerous  circuit ;  and.  placing  her  finger 
once  mure  significantly  on  her  Ups,  led  in  the  direction  of  the  bomb-proof,  ud^ 


i^.m 


'N 


wacousta;    or,   the    propubct. 


m 


perot'iveil  by  Uie  sfntinels,  most  of  wliora,  it  is  probable,  had,  up  to  the  mo- 
ment of  the  alarm  siibsuciucntly  givon,  buch  too  much  overcome  by  prcvi.ouB 
wutchiiiR  and  ex<:itemont  to  have  kept  the  most  vij^ilunt  look  out. 

Aniveil  at  tiie  skirt  of  th;-  forost.  the  little  party  drew  up  within  the  sha- 
dow of  the  rnin.  un.l  a  sliort  and  earnest  dialo.^ue  ensued,  in  Indian,  between 
the  feuKile  ami  tht^'lheer.  This  was  suwecded  by  a  command  from  the  lat- 
ter to  his  servant,  w  )io,  after  a  momentary  but  respectful  expostulation,  which, 
however,  vas  utterly  lost  on  hiiu  to  whom  it  was  addressed,  proceerlcr'  M  di- 
Tc.st  himsi.'lf  of  his  humble  apparel,  assyming  in  exchange  the  more  elejjant 
uniform  of  his  superior.  Douellan.  who  was  also  of  the  grenadiers,  was  ro- 
markable  for  the  resemblance  he  bore,  in  figure,  to  Captain  de  Ilaldimar ; 
wanting,  it  is  true,  the  grace  and  freedom  of  ujovenient  of  the  latter,  but  still 
presenting  an  outline  which,  in  an  attitude  of  pi-ufound  repose,  might,  as  it 
subsequently  did,  have  set  even  those  who  were  most  intimate  with  the  oflicer 
at  fault. 

'*  This  is  well,"  observed  the  female,  as  the  yonng  man  proceeded  to  induct 
himself  in  the  grey  coat  of  his  .servant,  having  previously  drawn  the  glazed 
hat  close  over  hi.s  waving  and  redundant  hair  ;  "  if  the  Saganaw  is  ready,  Ou- 
canasta  will  go." 

''  Sure,  and  your  honor  does  not  mane  to  la'-e  me  behind  !"  exclaimed  the 
anxious  soldier,  as  his  captain  now  recommended  him  to  stand  close  concealed 
near  the  ruin  until  his  return.  ''  Who  knows  what  ambuscade  the  she-divtt 
may  lead  your  honor  into ;  and  thin  who  will  you  have  to  bring  you  out 
of  It?"* 

"  No,  Donellan,  it  must  not  be :  I  first  intended  it,  as  you  may  perceive  bj 
my  bringing  you  out ;  but  the  expedition  on  which  I  am  going  is  of  the  ut- 
most importance  to  us  all,  and  too  much  precautiou  cannot  be  taken.  I  fear 
no  ambuscade,  for  I  can  depend  on  Jbhe  fidelity  of  my  gtlide  ;  but  the  presence 
of  a  third  person  would  only  embarrass,  without  assisting  me  in  the  least. 
You  must  remain  behmd ;  the  woman  insists  upon  it,  and  there  is  no  more  to 
be  said." 

"  To  ould  Nick  with  the  ugly  witch,  for  h(!r  pains !"  half  muttered  the  dis- 
appointed soldier  to  him.self.  "  I  wish  it  may  be  as  your  honor  says ;  hut  my 
mind  misgives  me  sadly  that  evil  will  come  of  this.  Has  your  honor  secured 
the  pistols  ?" 

"  They  are  here,"  returned  hip  iraptain,  placing  a  hand  on  either  chest. 
"  And  now,  Donellan,  mark  mo :  ^  ['  low  nothing  that  can  detain  me  longer 
than  an  hour ;  at  least  the  woman  ,:;;sures  me,  and  1  believe  her,  that  I  may 
be  back  then ;  but  it  is  well  to  guard  against  accidents.  You  must  continue . 
here  for  the  hour,  and  for  the  hour  only.  If  I  come  not  then,  return  to  the 
fort  without  delay,  for  the  rope  must  be  removed,  and  the  gate  secured  before 
Halloway*  is  ivlieved.  The  keys  you  will  find  jp  the  pocket  of  my  uniform : 
when  you  have  done  with  them,  let  them  be  hung  up  in  their  proper  place  in 
the  guard-room.  My  father  must  not  know  either  that  Halloway  suffered 
me  to  pass  the  gate,  or  that  you  accompanied  me." 

"  Lord  love  us !  your  honor  talks  as  if  you  would  niver  return,  giving  such 
a  heap  of  orders  ! "  exclaimed  the  startled  man  ;  "  but  if  I  gft  back  alone,  as 
I  trust  in  heaven  I  shall  not,  how  am  I  to  account  for  being  dressed  in  your 
honor's  regimentals  ?"  ^ 

"  I  tell  you,  Donellan,"  impatiently  returned  the  ofiBcer,  "  that  I  shall^  be 
back ;  but  I  only  wish  to  guard  against  accidents.  The  instantyou  get  into 
tlie  fort,  yon  will  take  ott'  my  clothes  and  resume  your  own.  Who  the  devil 
is  to  see  you  in  the  uniform,  unless  it  be  Halloway  ?" 

"  If  the  Saganaw  would  not  see  the  earth  red  with  the  blood  of  his  vaoe, 
he  will  go."  interruptetl  the  female.  "  Oucanasta  can  feel  the  breath  of  the 
morning  fcesh  upon  her  cheek,  and  the  council  of  the  chiefs  must  be  begun." 

"  'VhQ  Sn|;anaw  is  ready,  and  Oucanasta  shall  lead  the  way,"  hastily  returned 
the  oflicei      "  One  word  more,  Donellan,"  and  he  pressed  the  hand  of  his  do> 


^■< ' 


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100 


WAC0V8TA 


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vm 


mestic  kindly :  "  should  I  not  retiirn,  you  must,  without  committk.jg  Hullo- 

way  or  yourself,  cause  my  father  to  be  apprised  that  the  Indians  meditate  a 

.  deep  and  treacherous  plan  to  get  possession  of  the  fort.     What  that  plan  is. 

"*"  I  know  not  yet  ni^'self.  neither  doesthis  woman  know  j  but  she  says  I  shall 
hear  it  discussed  unseen,  even  in  the  heart  of  their  own  encampment.  All 
you  have  to  do  is  to  acquaint  my  father  with  the  existence  of  danger.  And 
now  be  cautious :  above  all  things,  keep  ch.se  under  the  shadow  of  the  bomb- 
proof; for  there  are  scouts  constantly  prowlinp;  about  tli^j  common,  and  the 
glittering  of  the  uniform  in  the  starlight  may  betray  you." 

"  But  why  may  I  not  follow  your  honor  ?"  again  urged  the  faithful  soldier ; 
"and  where  is  the  use  of  my  remaining  here  to  count  thewtars,  and  hear  the 
*  all's  well !'  from  the  fort,  when  T  could  be  so  much  better  employed  in  guard- 
ing your  honor  from  harm  ?  What  sort  of  protection  can  that  Ingian  womau 
afford,  who  is  of  the  nu-e  of  our  bitterest  enemies,  them  cursed  Ottawas,  and 
your  honor  venturing,  too,  like  a  spy  into  the  very  heart  of  the  blood-hounds  1 

f '"Ah,  Captain  de  Haldimar,  for  the  love  of  God,  do  not  trust  yotirself  alone 
with  h^,  or  T  am  sure  I  shall  never  see  your  honor  again  ! " 

The  last  words  (unhappily  too  prophetic)  fell  only  on  the  ear  of  him  who 
uttered  them.  The  female  and  the  officer  had  already  disappeared  round  an 
abruj)t  angle  of  the  bomb-])roof ;  and  the  soldier,  as  directed  by  his  master. 
now  drew  up  his  tall  figure  against  the  ruin,  where  he  continued  for  a  period 

'■"•immovable,  as  if  he  had  been  planted  there  in  his  ordinary  character  of  sen- 
tinel, listening,  until  they  eventually  died  away  in  distance,  to  the  receding 
footsteps  of  his  master ;  and  then  ruminating  on  the  several  appreliensiona 
that  crowde(i  on  his  mind,  in  regard  to  the  probable  issue  of  his  adventurous 
.project. 

^' "'  Meanwhile.  Captain  de  Haldimar  and  his  guide  trod  the  mazes  of  the  forest, 
with  an  expedition  that  proved  the  latter  to  be  well  acquainted  with  its  bear- 
ings. On  quitting  the  bomb-proof  she  had  struck  into  a  narroAv^  winding 
path,  less  seen  than  felt  in  the  deep  gloom  pervading  the  wood,  and  with  light 
steps  bounded  over  obstacles  that  lay  strewed  in  their  course,  emitting  .scarcely 
more  sound  than  would  have  been  produced  by  the  5;limy  crawl  of  its  native 
rattle,'  nake.  Not  so,  however,  with  the  less  experienced  tread  of  her  com- 
panion. Wanting  tVie  pliancy  of  movement  given  to  it  by  the  light' mocassin, 
the  booted  foot  of  the  young  officer.  <lfsj)ite  of  all  hi-s  precaution,  fell  heavily 
.  tb  the  gi'oimd.  producing  .such  a  rustliiig  simon;:;  the  dried  leaves;,  that,  had  an 
Indian  ear  been  lurking  anywhere  aroniid  his  apjjroarh  must  inevitably  have 
been  betrayed.  More  than  once.  too.  neglecting  to  follow  the  injunction  of 
his  companion, who  moved  in  a  stooping  posture,  with  her  head  bent  over  her 
chest,  his  hat  was  caught  in  the  closely  matted  branches,  and  fell  sullenly  and 
heaviij'  to  the  earth,  evidently  mlteh  to  the  discomfiture  of  his  guifle. 

At  length  they  stood  du  the  verge  of  a  dark  and  precipitous  ravine,  the  ab- 
rupt sides  of  which  were  studded  with  underwood,  so  completely  interwoven 
that  all  pas.sage  appeared  impracticable.  What,  however,  .seejned  an  insur- 
mountable obstacle,  proved,  in  reality,  an  estimable  advantage  ;  for  it  was  by 
clinging  to  this,  in  imitation  of  the  example  set  by  his  comi)ani()n;  the  young 
officer  was  prevented  from  rolling  into  an  abyss,  the  dc^ith  of  which  was  lost 
in  the  profound  ob.scarity  that  pervaded  the  .scene.  Through  the  bed  of  this 
.  dark  dell  rolled  a  narrow  stream,  so  imperceptible  to  the  eye  in  the  "  living 
^  darkness,"  and  so  noiseless  in  its  course,  that  it  was  not  until  warned  by  his 
companion  he  stood  on  the  very  brink  of  it  Captain  de  Haldimar  was  made 
sensibTie  of  its  existence.  Both  cleared  it  at  a  single  bound,  in  which  the  ac- 
tivity of  the  female  was  not  the  least  conspicuous,  and,  clambering  up  the 

'I''':'  opposite  steep,  secured  their  footing  by  the  aid  of  the  same  underwood  that. 

•' *'  had  assisted  th(?m  in  their  descent. 

f  • '     On  gaining,  the  other  summit,  which  was  not  done  without  detaching  seve- 

","nd  large  stones  from  their  sandy  bed.  they  again  fell  into  the  path  which  had 
been  lost  sight  of  in  tnvoraing  the  ravine.    They  had  proceede(i  along  thi» 


■# 


ab- 
)ven 
Ipur- 

by 

»ung 

lost 

I  this 

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his 

liade 

ac- 

the 

that 

uve- 
Ihad 
Ithif 


W  A  C  O  U  8  T  A  ;      (»  R  ,      I  H  E      PROPHECY 


101 


About  liair  a  mile,  when  the  foinak'  siuldenl}'  stoppcl,  •iiii  nointinp:  to  n  dim 
and  tmid  atmosphere  tiiat  now  hef_nin  to  >shoKf  itself  between  the  thin  foliage, 
whisiRTcd  lliat  in  the  opening  hej  ond  stood  the  enranii-ntcrt  of  the  Indians. 
Silt!  then  so4ited  iiersc^lf  on  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree,  that  lay  at  the  siile  of 
the  almost  invisible  patii  they  had  hitherto  pursued,  and  niotionin;r  to  her 
companion  to  unboot  himself;  pro<;eeded  to  unlace  the  fastening's  of  her  mo- 
cassins, jk  / 

■  Tlie  foot  of  the  SagaWw  must  fall  like  the  night  dew  on  the  prairie  "  sh^ 
ob  ei  ved  ;  "  the  ear  of  the  red  skin  is  quicker  than  the  iiglitning.  and  he  will 
knov  that  a  pale  face  is  near,  if  he  hear  but  his  tread  i^pbn  a  blade  of  pra-i." 

The  young  officer  had,  at  the  first  Suggestion  of  his  guide,  divested  himself 
of  his  boots,  prepared  to  perform  the  remainder  of  the  journey  merely  in  his 
atockings,  but  liis  comj^ion  now  threw  herself  on  her  knees  before  him,  and, 
without  further  ceremony,  proceeded  to  draw  over  his  foot  one  of  the  mocas- 
sins she  hud^ust  relinquished. 

"  The  feet  of  the  Saganaw  are  soft  as  those  of  a  young  child,"  she  remark- 
ed, f  I  a  voice  of  commiaei-ation  ;  "  but  the  mocassins  of  Oucanasta  shall 
protect  tl.em  from  the  thorns  of  the  forest." 

This  was  too  un-Eui-opean, — too  much  revers'ing  the  established  order  of 
things,  to  be  boiiie  patiently.  As  if. he  had  felt  the  dignity  of  his  manhood 
oflfended  by  the  ^iruposai.  the  officer  drew  his  foot  hastily  back,  declaring,  as 
he  sprang  from  the  log,  he  did  not  care  for  the  thorns,  and  could  not  think  of 
depriviu:;  a  female,  who  must  be  much  more  sensible  of  pain  than  himself. 

Oucanasia,^  however,  wa,s  not  to  be  outdone  in  politeness.  She  calmly  re- 
seated herself  oij  the  log,  drew  her  right  foot  over  her  left  knee,  Cfiught  one 
of  the  haiHs  of  her  companion,  and  placing  it  upon  the  naked  sole,  desired 
him  to  feel  how  impervious  to  attack  of  every  description  was  .that  indurated 
portion  of  the  lower  iimb. 

This  pr.ictical  lArgunitmt  was  not,without  its  weight;  and  had  more  effect  in 
deciding  the  officer  than  a  volume  of  remonstrance.  When  Captain  de  Haldi- 
mar  had  passed  his  im willing  hand  over  the  foot  of  Oucanasta.  which,  what-' 
ever  her  face  might  have  been,  was  certainly  anything  but  delicate,  and 
encountered  numerous  ragged  excrescences  and  raspy  callosities  that  set  all 
.  synunetry  at  defiance,  a  wonderful  revolution  came  over  his  feelings  ;  and 
secretly  determining  the  mocas.sins  would  lie  equally  well  placed  on  his  own 
feet,  he  no  longer  offered  an  /  opposition. 

This  important  point  arrmged,  the  officer  cmcc  more  followed  Ids  guide  in 
silence.  Gradually  the' forest  tia  they  advanced,  becarric  lighter  with  the  lurid 
atmosphi're  before  alluded  to ;  and  at  length,  through  the  trees,  could  be  in- 
distinctly seen  the  Indian  fires  from  which  it  proceeded.  The  young  man  was 
,  now  desired  by  his  cpnductress  to  use  the  utmost  ciituiuspection  in  making 
the  circuit  of  the  wood,  in  order  to  gain  a  position  itujuediately  opposite  to 
the  point  where  the  path  they  had  hitherto  pursued  terminated  in  the  opening. 
This,  indeed,  was  the  most  flangerous  and  critical  i)art  of  the  undertaking, 
A  false  step,  or  the  crackling  of  a  decayed  branch  beneath  the  foot,  would 
have  been  sufficient  to  betray  proximity,  in  which  ca.se  his  doom  was  sealed. 

Fortunate  did  he  now  deem  himself  in  having  yielded  to  the  counsel  of  his 
guide.  Ha<l  he  retained  his  unbending  boot,  it  must  hare  crushed  whatever 
it  pressed ;  whereas,  the  i)liant  mocassin,  yielding  to  the  obstacles  it  encoun- 
tered, enabled  him  to  pass  noiselessly  over  them.  Still,  while  exempt  from , 
danger  on  tliis  score,  juiother,  scarcely  less  perplexing,  became  at  every  instant 
more  ol)vious ;  for,  as  they  drew  n(!arer  to  the  point  which  the  female  sought 
to  gain,  the  dim  light  of  the  half-.slumbering  fires  fell  so  immediately  upon 
their  path,  that  had  a  single  human  eye  been  timied  in  .  that  direction,  their 
discovery  waa  inevitable.  It  was  with  a  beating  heart,  to  which  mere  personal 
fear,  however,  was  a  stranger,  that  Captain  de  Ilaldimar  performed  tnis  con- 
cluding stage  of  his  adventu^'ous  c»nu"se ;  but,  at  a  raoraent  when  he  considered 
detection  unavoidable,  and  was  arming  himself  with  resolution  to  meet  tht 


''ii.    t 


I 

I    . 


*• 


i  :■: 


i 

.r- 
,  ii-. 


In 


I 


A'- 


If 

*  ♦ 


/■'.■■•' 


102 


iWacousta;    or,    the    prophecy 


[^.m^'^. 


erent,  the  female  suddenly  halted,  placing,  in  the  act,  the  trunk  of  an  enor- 
mous beech  between  her  companion  and  the  du«ky  forms  within,  whose  very 
breathing  could  be  heard  by  the  an.xious  officer.  Without  uttering  a  word, 
she  took  his  hand,  and  drawing  him  gently  forward,  disappeared  altogether 
from  his  view.  The  young  man  followed,  and  in  the  next  moment  found  . 
himself  in  the  bowelless  body  of  the  tree  itself;  into  which,  on^he  side  of 
the  encampment,  both  light  and  sound  were  admitted  by  a  small  aperture 
formed  by  the  natural  decay  of  the  wood. 

The  Indian  pressed  her  lips  to  the  car  of  her  companion,  and  rather  breath- 
ed than  said. — "  The  Saganaw  will  see  and  htsar  every  thing  from  this  in  safety; 
and  what  he  hears  let  him  treasure  in  his  heart.  Oucanastamust  go.  VVJ»en 
the  council  is  over  she  will  return,  and  lead  him  back  to  his  warriors." 

With  this  brief  intimation  she  departed,  and  so  noiselessly,  that  the  young 
oflScer  was  not  aware  of  her  absence  until  some  minutes  of  silence  had  satisfi- 
ed him  she  must  be  gone.  His  first  care  then  was  to  survey,  through  the 
aperture  that  lay  in  a  level  with  his  eye,  the  character  of  the  scene  before 
him.  The  small  plain,  in  which  lay  the  encampment  of  the  Indians,  was  a 
sort  of  oasis  of  the  forest,  girt  around  with  a  rude  bolt  of  underwood,  and 
somewhat  elevated,  so  as  to  present  the  appearance  of  a  mound,  constructed 
on  the  first  principles  of  art.  This  was  thickly,  although  irrcguliu-ly  studded 
with  tents,  some  of  which  were  formed  of  large  cparse  mats  thrown  over 
pole.";  disposed  in  a  conical  shape,  while  others  were  more  rudely  composed  of 
the  leafy  branches  of  the  forest. 

Within  these,  groups  of  human  fornis  lay  wrapped  in  their  blankets,  stretch- 
ed at  their  lazy  length.  Others,  with  their  feet  placed  close  to  tlie  dying 
(ynbers  of  their  fires,  diverged  like  so  man}'  radii  from  their  centre,  and  lay 
motionless  in  sleep,  as  if  life  and  consciousnoss  wore  wholly  extinct.  IJero 
and  there  was  to  be  seen  a  solitarj'^  warrior  si^uring,  with  admiable  neatness, 
and  with  delicate  ligatures  formed  of  the  sinew  of  the  deer,  the  guiding  feath- 
er, or  fa-shfoning  the  bony  barb  of  lii.=  long  arrow ;  while  others,  with  the 
same  warlike  spirit  in  view,  employed  themselves  in  cutting  and  greasing  small 

Satches  of  smoked  deerskin,  which  were  to  secure  and  give  a  more  certain 
irection  to  the  murderous  bullet.  Among  the  warriors  were  interspersed 
many  women,  some  of  whom  might  be  seen  suppoi-ting  in  their  laps  the  heavy 
heads  of  their  uncon.scious  helpmates^  while  they  occupied  themselves,  by  the 
firelight,  in  parting  the  long' black  matted  hair,  and  maintainmg  a  destructive 
warfare  ag}\inst  the  pigmy  Inhabitants  of  that  dark  region.  These  signs  of 
life  and  activity  in  the  body  of  the  camj)  generally  were,  however,  but  few 
and  occasional ;  and,  at  the  spot  where  Captain  de  Ilaldimar  stood  concealed, 
the  scene  was  difl'erent.  At  a  few  yards  from  the  tree  stood  a  sort  of  shed, 
O0mi)osed  of  tall  poles  placed  upright  in  the  earth,  and  supporting  a  roof 
formed  simply  of  rude  boughs,  the  foliage  of  which  had  been  withered  by  time. 
Tins  simple  edifice  might  be  about  fifty  feet  in  circimference.  In  the  centre 
blazed  a  large  iiYc  that  ha'l  been  newly  fed,  and  around  this  were  assembled- 
a  band  of  swarthy  warriors,  some  twenty  or  thirty  in  number,  who,  by  their 
proud,  calm,  and  thoughtful  bearing,  might  at  once  be  known  to  be  chiefs. 

The  faces  of  most  of  the.se  were  familiar  to  the  young  officer,  who  speedily 
recognised  them  for  the  principals  of  the  various  tribes  Ponteac  had  leagued 
in  arms  against  his  enemies.  That  chief  himself,  ever  renulrkable  for  his 
haughty  eye  and  commanding  gesture,  was  of  the  niunber  of  tho.se  present } 
and  sat  a  little  aloof  from  his  inferiors,  with  his  feet  stretched  towards  the 
fire,  and  half  reolining  on4iis  side  in  an  attitude  of  indolence  ;  yet  with  his 
mind  evidently  engrossed  by  deep  an<l  absorl.ing  thought.  From  .some  ob- 
servat'ons  that  distinctly  met  his  ear.  Captain  (^e  Ilaldimar  gathered,  the  party 
were  onlj' awaiting  the  arrival  of  an  iniportsnt  character,  without  whose 
presence  the  leading  chief  was  unwilling  the  conference  .should  be^in.  The 
period  of  the  officer's  concealment  had  just  been  long  enough  (o  enable  him  to 
fix  aM  these  particulars  in  his  mind,  when  suddenly  the  fiint  report  of  t 


waoovsta;    or,   the    prophecy. 


103 


Ito 


distKat  rifle  wa8  h-ard  <'ch<)ing  throuuhout  t\w  wood.  This  wag  instantly 
':iir(TO«loii  l»y  a  secotiii,  lliat  .soni)(I<-<l  more  siuirply  on  the  oar;  an(\  then  ft>i" 
Jowid  a  louj:;  ami  i)ierc;ng  cry  that  hroiij^ht  ovcry  .warrior,  oven  those  who 
8epi,  <|uii:kiy  !o  his  foot. 

A»  anx'.oiH  inttjval  of  so:ne  minutes  passed  away  in  tho  Hxoil  anl  listening 
uttilml's  whii'h  the  chief><  esj>ecially  had  assumed,  when  a  noise  resoiuhling 
/lial  of  >oiiii'  aiiirai^l  Ibroin;.:  its  way  rapidly  throui^h  tho  rustlit'p-  ))rani'hes, 
wart  faltillv  hear«I  ni  the  direction  in  which  the  shots  had  In'oii  linvl.  Thia 
gradually  iiieniised  as  it  evidently  approached  the  encanipmnit,  and  then,  dis- 
tint'Uy,  could  be  hoanl  the  light  yet  luif^uarded  boundin^:s  of  a  human  loot. 
At  every  moment  the  rustlinij;  of  the  underwood,  rapidly*  divided  by  th6 
approaoiiing  form,  bwiiime  more  audible;  and  so  closely  did  the  intruder  press 
upon  till-  point  in  which  Uaplrin  de  Ilaldimar  was  concealed,  that  that  ofjlicer. 
fancy  in;.r  he  ha<l  been  betrayed.  turn(!d  hastily  around,  and,  grasping  one  oi 
the  pistols  he  had  secreted  in  the  chest,  prej^ared  himself  for  a  last  and  deatUy 
eneoun-er.  An  instant  or  two  was  sudicient  to  re-assure  him.  The  form 
glided  hastily  past,  brusliinji;  the  tree  with  its  jrarments  in  its  course,  and 
clearinii,  at  a  siufzle  bound,  the  belt  of  undi-rwood  tliat  divided  the  encamp- 
ment fioin  the  tall  forest,  stood  suddejjiy  among  the  group  of  anxious  and 
expectant  chiefs. 

This  indivi<lual.  a  man  of  tall  stature,  was  iiowcrfuUy  made.  He  wore  a 
jerkni.  or  buntin;.;-eoat  of  leather  ;  an<l  his  arms  wcie.  a  rifle  which  had  every 
appoaiance  of  havijjj;  just  been  diseharjred,  a  tomahawk  reekin.15  with  blood, 
and  a  scalping  knife,  which,  in  the  Jiurry  of  some  re.'ent  service  it  had  been 
made  to  peil'>rni.  had  missed  its  sheath,  and  was  thrust  n:dved  into  the  belt 
thai  euciicli'd  liis  loins.  His*  countenance  wore  an  expression  of  maliur.ant 
trium])h  ;  and  as  his  eye  fell  on  the  assembled  thron.u;;  its  self-sat isiied  and 
exuUiui:,  Lilancc  seemed  to  jj^ive  tli.in  to  uiulersland  he  came  not  without  cro- 
denliais  to  recommend  him  to  theii'  notice.'  Captain  fie  Ilaldimar  was  par- 
ticularly strui.'k  by  the  air  of  bold  dariuii-  and  almost  ii>soleut  recklessness 
pervadiivr  eviry  movL-meiit  of  this  man  :  and  it  was  dillicuit  to  say  whetlier 
the  haui;btiness  of  bearui;;  jn(;uU:ir  to  Ponieac  him.self.  was  not  exceeded  by 
that  of  lliis  herculean  warrior. 

Bv  th  ■  body  of  chiets  his  appearance  bad  been  jzii'eetcd  with  a  mere  general 
irinnt  of  approbation ;  biU  the  coMnnenan'i- of  the  leadcrML'Xpresse'l  a  moro  ' 
p»'isonal  iutenist.  .Ml  seemed  to  expect  he  had  sonu>thing  of  moment  to  cora- 
uiuniratc;  but  as  it  was  not  consistent  with  the  dignity  of  Indian  etKpiettO 
to  '.nfi'tin'.  they  waited  calmly  tmtil  it  should  please  their  new  as.sociate  to 
eiitir  on  the  history  of  his  exploits.  In  jjunsuance  of  an  invitation  from  l*on- 
teac.  he  now  tp ok  liis  seat  on  the  right  hand  of  that  chief,  and  immediately 
filing  I  lie  nee.  fron»  which  Cajilain  de  Ilaldimar.  strongly  excited  both  by 
th:  re,  orts  of  the  shots  that  had  bL:en  lircd,  and^  the  sight  of  the  bloody  toma- 
hawk of  lh<'  recently  arrived  Indian,  gazed  earnestly  and  anxiously  on  tho 
s  vartlr.    :liionj-. 

<.Jlui.  jng  onco  more  triumphantly  round  the  cu'cle,  who  sat  smoking  their 
|jipes  in  <i:in-.  n  i  deliberative  silence,  the  latter  now  observed  the  eye  of  a 
vo'.n.chf  who  vat  opposite  to  him,  intently  riveted  on  his  leH;  shoulder, 
lie  r;:v;  (1  his  hand  to  the  part,  withdrew  it,  looked  at  it.  ftnd  lound  it  wet 
with  bo/).!.  A  slight  start  of  surprise  betrayed  his  own  tmcon.sciousuess  of 
the  accii'cnl  ;  yet.  secretly  vexed  at  the  discovery  which  had  been  made,  and 
ur.'i'd  p.()}»ab)y  by  one  of  his  wayward  fits,  he  demanded  haughtily  and  in- 
sultingly of  the  young  chitf,  if  that  was  the  first  tunc  he  had  ever  looked  on 
the  b:r,(>>l  of  a  warrior. 

"  hos  my  brotluT  f.cl  pain  ?"  was  the  taunting  reply.  "  Tf  he  is  come  tO 
us  with  a  trophy,  it  is  not  without  being  dearly  bought.  The  Saganaw  hat 
spilt  his  blood." 

'  1'lie  weapons  of  the  Saganaw.  like  those  of  the  .smooth  face  of  tho  Ottawa 
*re  witfiout  sling,"  angrily  retort  id  the  other.     •'  They  only  prick  the  skin 


.•  ^ 


t 


\'-H^ 


t  < 


/  ' 


h  '■ 


'I 


'• 


104 


wacousta;    or,    thb    prophecy 


I-. ;  1 


[I- 


like  a  thorn  ;  but  whon  Wacousta  drinks  the  .blood  of  his  enemy .^'  and  Jic 
glanced  his  eye  fiercely  at  the  young  man,  "  it  is  the  blood  next  his  heart." 

"My  brother  has  always?  big  words  upon  his  lips,"  returned  the  young 
chief,  with  a  scornful  sneer  a£  the  implied  threat  against  himself,  "  But  where 
»re  his  proofs  ?" 

For  a  moment  the  eye  of  the  party  thus  challenged  kindled  into  flame, 
while  his  lips  were  firmly  compressed  together  ;  and  as  he  half  bent  himseli 
forwai'd,  to  scan  with  greater  earnestness  the  features  of  his  questionQl",  his 
right  hand  sank  to  his  left  side,  tightly  grasping  the  handle  of  his  scalping- 
knife.  The  action  was  but  momentary.  Again  he  drew  himself  up,  puffed 
the  smoke i*Ueliberi#tely  fVom  his  bloody  tomahawk,  and,  thrusting  his  right 
hand  into  his  bosom,  drew  leisurely  forth  a  recking  scalp,  which  he  tossed 
insolently  across  the  fire  into  the  lap  of  the  young  chief.  A  loud  and  general 
"  ugh  !"  testified  the  approbation  of  the  assembled  group  at  the  imequivocal 
.  answer  thus  given  to  the  demand  of  the  youth.  The  eye  of  the  huge  warrior 
sparkled  with  a  dc^p  and  ferocious  exultation. 

'•  What  says  the  smooth  face  of  the  Ottawas  now  ?"  he  demanded,  m  the 
same  insolent  strain.  '"  Doe"  it  make  his  heart  sick  to  look  upon  the  scalp  of 
a  great  chiif  ?" 

The  young  man  quietly  turned  the  horrid  trophy  over  several,  times  in  his 
hand,  examining  it  attentively  in  every  part.  Then  tossing  it  back  with  con- 
temptuous coolness  to  its  owner,  he  replied, — 

''  1^0  eyes  of  my  brother  arc  weak  with  age.  He  is  not  cunning,  like  a  red 
skin.  The  Ottawa  has  often  seen  the  Sagauav;  in  their  fort,  and  he  knows 
their  chiefs  have  fineihair  like  women  ;  but  this  is  like  the  bristle  of  the  fox. 
My  brother  has  not  slain  a  great  chief,  but  a  common  warrior." 

A  fiush  (»f  irrepressible  and  threatening  anger  passed  over  the  features  of 
the  vast  savage. , 

'•  Is  it  for  a  boy,"  he  fiercely  asked,  '"  whose  eyes  know  not  yet  the  color  of 
'blood,  to  judge  of  the  enemies  that  fall  by  the  tomahawk  of  Wacousta  1  but  a 
great  warrior  never  boasts  of  actions  that  he  does  not  a(.^hiev.\  It  is  the  son 
of  the  great  chief  of  the  Saganaw  whom  he  l^s  slain.  If  the  smooth  face 
doubts  it.  and  has  courage  to  venture,  evt-n  at  night,  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  the  tort,  he  will  see  a  Saganaw  without  a  scalp  ;  and  he  will  know 
that  .Saganaw  by  his  dress — ihe  dress,"  he  pursued,  with  a  low  emphatic 
laugh,  "that  Oucanasta,  the  sister  of  the  smooth  face,  loved  so  much  to  look 
upon." 

Qui.ker  than  thought  wOvS  the  ui)springing  of  the  young  Indian  to  his  feet. 
With  a  cheek  <iIowing.  an  eye  flashing,  and  his  gleaming  tomahawk  whirling 
rapidly  round  liis  head  he  cleared  at  a  single  bound  the  fire  that  separated 
him  from  hi.s  iu.sultor.  The  formidable  man  who  had  thus  wantonly  provoked 
the  attack,  was  equally  prompt  in  meeting  it.  At  the  first  movement  of  the 
youth,  he  too  ha<l  leapt  to  his  fc'et.  and  brandislieil  the  terrible  weapon  that 
served  in  the  double  rapacity  of  pijjc  and  hatchet.  A  fierce  yell  escaped  the 
hps  of  e.•^^h.  as  they  thus  met  in  close  and  hostile  collision,  and  the  scene  for 
the  moment  piomised  to  be  one  of  the  most  tragic  character;  but  before 
either  could  Ihid  an  a.-^.-ailable  point  on  which  to  test  his  Ibnniflable  weapon^ 
Pouteac  himself  had  throwH  his  peison  between  them,  and  in  a  voice  of  thun- 
der comiiiaieleil  the  instant  abaiidoiiiiKnt  of  their  purpose.  Kxa^pcrated/'ven 
as  thi'v  now  mutually  \vere,.lhe  iiiliuenee  of  that  authority,  fctr  whifh  the 
great  chief  of  the  (Ottawas  was  well  known,  was  not  withotit  due  »'iiect  on  tlie 
combatants.  Hi-;  aiimi  was  principally  directed  aga'*'..,l  wi>.  ...'^sailsuit,  on  whom 
the  tones  of  his  reproving  voice  produced  a  cl  .mge  the  intimidation  of  \m 
powerful  op|H)nent  could  never  have  affected.  The  young  chief  dropped  the 
point  of  his  ton>:khawk  ;  bowed  his  head  in  submission  and  then  i'esmning  his 
leat,  sat  <luriiig  the  r«nuinder  of  the  night  with  his  arms  folded,  aad  hi.s  head 
bent  in  silence  over  his  chest. 

"  Our  brother  has*  done  well,"  said  Ponteac.  glancing  approvingly  at  hi^ 


.    «*      * 


wacousta;    ou,    thk    prophkcy. 


105 


fvcn 
the 
tho 

liom 
Ills 
tho 

;  his 

lead 


who  had  exhibited  the  reeking  trophy,  and  whom  he  evidently  favored.  "  He 
IS  a  great  chirf,  and  his  words  are  truth.  We  heard  the  report  of  his  lifle,  and 
rti!  also  }'eanl  the  cry  that  told  he  had  borne  away  the  scalp  of  an  enemy. 
Hut  we  will  think  of  this  to-morrow.     Let  us  now  commence  our  talk." 

Our  r<'U(Ii'rs  .vill  readily  imagine  the  feelings  of  Captain  de  llaldimar  during 
this  ;  lioi  t  hut  exciting  scene.  From  the  account  given  by  tlje  warrior,  there 
could  bo  n.t  doiibt  the  murderudiuaa  was  the  unhappy  Donellan ;  who.  pro- 
bably, n.-glcciiiig  the  caution  given  him,  had  exposed  him.self  to  the  murderous 
uiui  ol'  i\u>  tiviCL'  being,  who  was  apparently  a  scout  sent  for  the  purpose  of 
watching  liio  movements  of  the  garrison.  The  direction  of  the  liring,  the  al- 
lusion made  Lo  the  regimentals,  nay,  tiie  scalp  itself,  which  he  knew  from  tho 
fihorl  ci'op  to  b(^  that  of  a  soldier,  and  fancied  he  recognised  from  its  color  to 
be  that  of  his  .servant,  formed  but  too  conclusive  evidence  of  the  fact ;  and,  bit- 
terly and  deeply,  as  he  gazetl  on  this  melancholy  proof  of  the  man's  sacrifice 
of  life  to  his  interest,  did  he  repent  that  he  had  made  him  the  companion  of 
his  adventure,  or  that,  having  done  so,  he  had  not  either  brought  him  away 
altogether,  or  sent  him  instantly  back  to  the  fort.  Comnu.ieration  for  the  fate 
of  the  unfortunate  Donellan  naturally  induced  a  spirit  of  personal  hostility  to- 
wards his  destroyer  ;  and  it  was  with  feelings  strongly  excited  in  favor  of  him 
whom  he  now  discovered  to  be  the  brother  of  his  guide,  that  he  saw  him  spring 
fiercely  to  the  attack  of  his  gigantic  opponent.  There  was  an  activity  about 
the  young  chief  amply  commensurate  with  the  gr^at  physical  power  of  his  ad- 
versary ;  while  the  manner  in  which  he  wielded  his  tomahawk,  proved  him  to 
be  anything  but  the  novice  in  the  u.se  of  the  foi  midable  weapon  the  other  had 
represented  him.  It  was  with  a  feeling;  of  disappointment,  therefore,  which 
the  peculiarity  of  his  own  position  could  not  overcome,  he  saw  Pontcac  inter- 
pose himself  between  the  parties. 

Pres'.'utly,  however,  a  subject  of  deeper  and  more  absorbing  interest  than 
even  the  fate  of  his  unhappy  follower  engrossed  every  f.iculty  of  his  mind,  and 
riveted  boili  eye  and  ear  in  painful  tension  to  the  aperture  in  his  hiding-place. 
The  chiefs  had  resumed  their  places,  and  fire  silence  of  a  few  minutes  had  suc- 
ceeded to  the  liorce  attVay  of  tho  warriors,  when  Pontcac,  in  a  calm  and  delibe- 
rate voi("e,  proceeded  to  Mtale  he  had  snnunoned  all  the  heads  of  the  nations 
t'.-gethei',  to  hear  a  plan  he  had  to  otler  for  the  recluction  of  tho  last  remaining 
fm'in  of  their  (enemies.  Michilimackinac  and  Detroit.  lie  pointed  out  the 
tediou'^niss  of  the  wartaro  in  which  they  were  engaged;  the  desertion  of  their 
hunting-grouuls  by  their  warrioi-s;  and  their  consequent  deficiency  in  all 
those  a)-ticl<\s  of  European  traffic  which  they  were  formerly  in  the  habit  of  re- 
ceiving in  exchange  for  their  furs.  He  dwelt  on  the  beneficial  results  that 
woTiM  accrue  to  them  all  in  the  event  of  the  reduction  of  those  two  important 
fortresses ;  since,  in  that  case,  they  would  bo  enabled  to  make  such  terms 
with  the  I'liiglish  as  would  .secure  to  them  (lonsiderable  advantages ;  while,  in- 
stead of  In  ing  treated  with  the  indignity  of  a  conquered  people,  they  would  bo 
*"enabled  to  command  respect  from  the  imposing  attitude  this  final  crowning  of 
their  siuci'ssos  would  enable  them  to  assimie.  He  stated  that  the  pruiK-nco 
and  vigilance  of  the  commanders  of  these  two  tnireduced  fortresses  were  likely 
long  to  I  ;i'Ile.  as  had  hitherto  ))ei  n  the  ejise.  every  open  attempt  at  their  cap- 
ture;  and  inhnitb'l  li  ■  had  little  expectation  of  terrifying  them  into  a  -^tin-en- 
der  by  tho  same  artllice  that  had  succeeded  with  tlie  forts  on  the  ( Miio  and 
the  lon-er  Ijike.^!*  Tli  •  |"<taii.  however  which  he  had  to  propose,  was  one  he 
felt  ns.>nicd  would  be  a!iriid'"<l  nilh  suei-ess.  Hi' would  disclose  that  plan, 
«nd  the  great  chiefs  should  give  it  the  advantage  of  their  dvliberatiorj^. 

Captain  de  llaltliniar  wiis  on  the  rack.  The  chii-f  had  gradually,  dropped 
\iis  voic<i  us  ha  explained  his  piini,  until  at  length  it  became  so  low,  that  un- 
diHtinguisl>«l)le  sounds  alone  reAchod  the  car  of  the  excited  ofMccr.  For  a  mo- 
ment he  diiipaire(l  of  making  himself  fully  master  of  the  important  secI^t ;  but 
in  the  course  of  the  deliberation  that  ensued,  the  blanks  left  unsupplied  in  the 
diMuursc  of  the  leader  were  abundantly  filled  up.    It  was  what  the  reader  has 


^1 


M 


*  .(■■? 

r.  ^ 


-  5- 


.'  1 1 


t 


106 


WAC0U8TA.;   OR,  THE  PROPHECY. 


m 


1^' 


already  seen.  The  necessities  of  the  Indians  were  to  be  urged  as  a  motive  for 
their  being  tired  of  hostilities.  A  peace  was  to  be  solicited ;  a  council  held , 
a  ball-playing  among  the  warriors  proposed,  as  a  mark  of  their  own  sincerity 
and  confidence  during  that  council ;  and  when  the  garrison,  lulled  into  secu- 
rity, should  be  thrown  entirely  off  their  guard,  the  warriors  were  to  seize  thci^ 
guns  and  tomahawks,  witlr  which  (the  former  cut  short,  for  the  better  con- 
cealment of  their  •purpose)  tlicir  women  would  be  provided,  rush  in.  under 
pretext  of  regaining  their  lost  ball,  when  a  universal  massacre  of  men,  women, 
and  children  was  to  ensue,  until  nothing  wearing  the  garb  of  a  Saganaw  shoula 
be  left. 

It  would  be  tedious  to  follow  (;ho  chief  through  all  the  minor  ramificationa 
of  his  subtle  plan.  SuflSce  it  they  were  of  a  nature  to  throw  the  most  wary 
off  his  guard ;  and  so  admirably  arranged  was  every  part,  so  certain  did  it 
appear  their  enemies  must  fall  into  .the  snare,  that  the  ol(iest  chiefs'  testified 
their  approbation  with  a  vivacity  of  manner  and  'expression  little  wont  to 
characterise  the  deliberative  meetings  of  these  reserved  people.  But  deepest 
of  all  was  the  approval  of  the  tall  warrior  who  had  so  recently  arrived.  To 
him  had  the  discourse  of  the  leader  been  principally  directed,  as  one  whoso 
counsel  and  experience  were  especially  wanting  to  confii-m  him  in  his  purpose. 
He  was  the 'last  who  spoke  ;  but,  when  he  did,  it  was  with  a  force — an  energj 
— that  must  have  sunk  every  objection,  even  if  the  plan  had  not  been  .so  per- 
fect and  unexceptionable  in  its  concoction  as  to  have  precluded  a  possibility 
of  all  negative  argimicnt.  During  tlie  delivery  of  his  animated  speech,  his 
swarthy  countenance  kindled  into  fierce  and  rapidly  varying  expression.  A 
thousand  dark  and  complicated  passions  ^idently  struggled  at  his  heart ;  and 
as  he  dwelt  leism-ely  and  emphatically  on  the  sacrifice  of  human  life  that 
must  inevitably  attend  the  adoption  of  the  proposed  measure,  his  eye  grew 
larger,  his  chest  expanded,  n.ay,  his  very  nostril  appeared  to  dilate  with  un- 
fathomably  guileful  exultation.  Captain  de  Ilaldimar  thought  he  liad  never 
gazed  on  anything,  wearing  the  human  shape,  half  .so  atrociously  savage. 

Long  before  the  council  was  terminated,  the  inferior  warrions,  who  had 
been  so  suddenly  aroused  from  their  slumbering  attitudes,  had  a^ain  retired 
to.  their  tents,  and  stretched  their  lazy  length  before  tne  embers  of  their  tires. 
The  weary  chiefs  now  prepared  to  follow  their  exami>le.  They  emptied  the 
a.shes  from  the  bowls  of  their  pipe-tomahawks,  replaced  them  carefidly  at 
their  side,  ro.sc,  and  retired  to  their  respective  tents.  Ponteac  and  the  tall 
warrior  alone  remained.  For  a  time  they  conversed  earnestly  together.  The 
former  listened  attentively  to  some  observations  made  to  him  by  his  com- 
panion, in  the  course  of  which,  the  words  "  chief  of  the  Saganaw — fort — spy 
— eninny,"  and  two  or  three  othei"S  equally  unconnected,  were  alone  audible 
to  the  air  of  him  wlio  so  attentively  sought  to  catch  the  slightest  sound.  He 
then  thrust  hfs  hand  under  his  iiunting-coat,  and,  as  if  in  confiimntion  of 
what  he  had  been  slating,  exhibited  n  coil  of  rope  and  tlic  glossy  boot  ,:f  an  ' 
Enjrlish  olfloor.  Ponteac  uttered  one  of  his  .sharp  ejaculating  "  uglis !"  and 
then  rising  (niickly  from  his  seat,  followed  by  his  companion,  soon  disappeared  *• 
in  t'le  heart  of  the  encampment. 


OHAPTEll  XVII. 

How  shall  we  attempt  to  paint  all  that  passed  through  the  mind  of  Cap- 
tain do  Haldimar  during  this  important  conference  of  the  fierce  chiefs  ?— 
where  find  language  to  convoy  the  cold  aufl  tluillinir  horror  with  which  ht 
listened*  to  the  calm  discus.sion  of  a  plan,  the  ohjoi-t  of  which  was  the  ma.ssa 
cro,  not  only  of  a  host  of  beings  endeared  lo  him  by  long  commmiionshin  of 
icrvico,  but  of  those  who  wuro  wedded  to  \n$  heart  by  the  dearer  ties  oi  &^ 


-0     ' 


for 

Id, 
•ity 

ICU- 

on- 
der 


ul 


5 


wagousta;or,   the    prophecy 


107 


fection  and  kimlred  1  As  Ponte.ac  had  justly  observed,  the  English  gamsons 
gtrong  in  their  own  defences,  were  little  likely  to  be  speedily  reduced,  while 
their  enemies  confined  themselves  to  overt  acts  of  hostility  ;  but,  against  their 
iiiaidions  professions  of  aniity  who  could  ojtpose  a  sutticient  caution?  His 
fathor.  the  youn;::  ollicer  was  aware,  had  all  along  manifested  a  suirit  of  con- 
ciliation towards  the  Indians,  which,  if  followed  up  by  the  goveripient  gene- 
rally. !iiust  iiavKJ  had  the  eilVct  of  preventing  the  cruel  and  sanguinary  wai 
that  hud  so  recently  desolated  this  remote  part  of  the  British  possesaions. 
How  likely,  therefore,  was  it,  having  his  object  always  in  view,  he  should  give 
in  tQ  tht  pj-escnt  wily  stratijgem,  where  such  plausible  motives  for  the  aban 
donment  of  their  hostile  pui'pose  were  urged  by  .the  perfidious  chiefs  !  From 
the  few  hasty  hints  already  given  him  by  his  guide, — that  kind  being,  who 
evidently  sought  to  be  the  savij^r  of  the  devoted  garrison, — he  had  gathered 
that  a  deep  and  artful  plan  was  to  be  submitted  to  the  cluefs  by  their  leader; 
but  little  did  he  imagine  it  was  of  the  finished  nature  it  now  proved  to  be 
Any  other  than  the  present  attempt,  the  vigilance  and  prudenro  of  his  expe 
rienced  father,  he  felt,  would  have  rendered  abortive ;  but  there  was  so  much 
speciousness  in  the  pleas  that  \('ere  to  be  advanced  in  furtherance  of  their  as 
sumcd  object,  he  could  not  but  admit  the  almost  certainty  of  their  influence, 
♦.ven  on  him. 

Sick  ami  iliscouragcd  as  he  was  at  the  horrible  perspective  thus  forced  on 
his  mental  view,  the  young  officer  had  not.  for  some  moments,  pi-esenco  of 
mind  to  reflect  that  the  danger  of  the  garrison  existt'd  only  so  long  as  he 
should  be  absent  from  it.  At  length,  howtiver,  the  cheering  recollection  came, 
anti  with  it  the  mantling  ru.sh  of  blootl.  to  his  faint  heart.  But.  short  was 
the  consoling  hoj)e :  again  he  felt  dismay  in  every  fibre  of  his  frame  ;  for  he 
now  reflected,  that  altliough  his  opportune  discovery  of  the  meditated  scheme 
would  save  one  fort,  there  jwas  no  guardian  angol  to  extend,  as  in  this  in- 
stanc(>,  its  protecting  influence  to  the  other ;  and  within  that  other  there 
breathed  tiiose  who  were  deiirlT  far  to  him  than,  his  own  existence  ; — beings, 
whose  lives  were  far  moi'e  pi'ecious  to  him  than  any  evi-n  in  the  garrison  of 
which  he  was  a  member.  His  sister  Clara,  whom  he  loved  with  a  love  little 
inferior  to  that  of  his  younger  brother ;  and  one.  even  more  dearly  loved  than 
Cl.ara, — Madeline  de  llaldimar,  his  cousin  and  aiiiunccd  bride, — were  both  in- 
mates of  MichiUimackinae.  which  was  commanded  by  the  lather  of  tho  latter, 

a  m.'ijor  in  the regiment.     AVith  Madeline  de  llaldimar  he  had  long  since 

exchaugeil  his  vi.ws  of  alUotion  ;  and  their  nuptials,  which  were  to  have  taken 
pliice  ai)0ut  the  period  when  the  present  war  broke  out,  had  only  been  siw- 
pciided  beeau.'^e  all  comnumication  between  the  two  posts  had  been  entirely 
cut  olf  by  the  enemy. 

Caplaii*  de  IliUilimar  had  none  of  the  natural  weakness  and  timidity  of 
character  wliioh  belonged  to  the  gentler  and  more  si'usitivc  Charles.  San- 
guine and  fiiil  of  enterprise,  he  seldom  met  evils  halfway;  but  when  they 
did  coino,  he  sought  to  muster  them  by  the  iirmf^oss  and  collectedness  with 
which  ho  appo.sed  hi.'^  mind  to  their  inlliction.  If  his  honrt  was  now  racked 
with  the  most  acute  sull'ering — his  rea.son  inca])uci(itte<l  from  exercising  its 
calm  deliberate  iiower,  the  s^'cmiu*;  contrailiction  aro.se  not  from  any  deficiency 
in  his  character,  but  wa.s  attributable  wholly  to  the  extraordinary  circum- 
stances of  the  moment. 

It  was  a  part  of  the  profound  plaif  of  the  OttaVa  chief,  that  it  should  be 
essayed  on  the  two  forts  on  the  same  d.iy  ;  and  it  was  a  suggestion  of  tho 
imu'derer  of  poor  l)onellai\  that  a  parley  should  be  obtained,  l»hroiigh  tho 
medium  of  a  wh.te  llajr  the  nature  of  which  ho  explained  to  them,  as  it  was 
ilnderstood  among  their  enemievS.  If  invited  to  the  council,  then  they  were 
to  enter,  #  not,  I's  circumstaiKCS  nii>;ht  induce  ;  but,  in  any  case,  they  ^^•cre 
to  go  unprovided  v/ith  the  pipe  of  peace,  since  this  could  not  be  smoked  wim- 
out  violatin;.'  everything  held  most  sacreil  among  themselves.  The  red.  Or 
war  pijie,  was  to  be  substituted  as  if  by  aociiK'ntj  uuJ,  for  the  Mncce.<)s  of  the 


-v..  1 


h     • 


,:r  n-, 


^■\ 


Hi 


wv 


m 


r* 

1  >^il 

«'  :i. 


1,  -i* 


108 


WACOUST  4 


O  R 


THE  PROPHICY 


t.. 


dece[itr()ii,  they  were  to  presume  on  (he  itrnoruiifc  of  their  enemies.  This, 
howLV^'i-.  was  not  important,  since  the  period  of  their  first  parley  was  to  be 
the  1).  .•!ii''nt  chosen  for  the  arrangement  of  a  future  council,  and  the  proposal 
of  a  li;ri-|i'ayinjr  upon  the  common.  Three  ^ays  were  to  be  named  a.s  the  in- 
terval 1 1'^tween  the  first  conference  of  Poiitcac  with  the  governoi  and  the  de- 
finiti\  •■  '  o'mcU  wliich  was  to  ensue  ;  during  which,  however,  it  was  so  ar- 
ranged that  before  the  lip  of  a  red  skin  should  toucli  the  pipe  of  peace,  the 
ball-pl:i  <')s  should  rush  in  and  massacre  the  unprepared  soldiery,  while  the 
chiefs   :■-  s;patchcd  the  officers  in  council. 

It  A  as  the  proximity  of  the  period  allotted  for  the  execution  of  their  cruel 
scheme  that  mainly  contfibuted  to  the  dismay  of  Captain  de  Haldimar.  The 
very  next  day  was  appointed  for  carrying  into  eifect  the  first  part  of  the  In- 
dian plan:  and  how  was  it  possible  that  a  messenger,  even  admitting  he 
should  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  enemy,  could  reach  the  distant  post  of  ilich- ' 
ilimackinac  within  the  short  period  on  which  Inmg  the  destiny  of  that  devoted 
fortress.  In  the  midst  of  the  confused  and  distracting  images  that  now 
crowded  on  his  brain,  came  at  length  one  thought,  redolent  with  the  bright- 
est colorings  of  hope.  On  his  return  to  the  garrison,  the  treachery  of  tlie 
Indians  being  made  #cnown,  the  governor  might  so  far,  and  with  a  view  of 
gaining  time,  give  in  to  the  plan  of  his  enemies,  as  to  obtain  mch  delay  as 
would  allbrd  the  chance  of  communication  between  the  forts.  The  attempt, 
on  the  part  of  those  who  should  be  selected  for  this  purpose,  woidd.  it  is  true, 
be  a  desperate  one :  still  it  must  be  made  ;  and  with  such  incentives  to  exer- 
tion as  he  had.  how  willingly  would  he  propose  his  own  services ! 

The  more  he  dwelt  on  this  mode  of  defeating  the  subtle  designs  of  the  ene- 
my, the  more  practicable  did  it  appear.  Of  his  own  safe  return  to  the  fort  he 
entertained  not  a  doubt ;  for  he  knew  and  relied  on  the  Indian  woman,  who 
was  bound  to  him  by  a  tie  of  gratituile,  which  her  conduct  that  night  evi- 
dently denoted  to  be  superior  even  to  the  interests  of  her  race.  Moreover,  as 
he  approached  the  encampment  unnoticed  while  the  chiefs  were  yet  awake  to 
everything  around  them,  how  little  probability  was  there  of  his  retiu'n  being 
detected  while  all  lay  in  the  most  profound  repose.  It  is  true  that,  for  a  mo- 
ment, his  confidence  deserte<l  him  as  he  rcciu-red  to  the  earnest  dialogue  of 
the  two  Indians,  and  the  sudden  display  of  the  rope  and  boot,  the  h>tter  of 
which  articles  he  had  at  once  recognised  to  be  dhe  of  those  he  had  so  recently 
worn  ;  but  his  ai)prehensions  on  that  score  were  again  speedily  set  to  rest, 
when  he  reflected,  had  any  g^uspicion  existed  in  the  minds  of  these  men  that 
an  enemy  was  lurking  near  them,  a  general  alarm  would  have  been  spread, 
and  hundj'eds  of  warriors  despatched  to  scour  the  forest. 

The  night  was  now  ropiclly  waning  away,  and  already  the  cold  damp  air 
of  an  autunuial  morning  was  beginning  to  make  itself  f^ilt.  More  than  h.ilf 
an  hour  had  elapsed  since  the  departure  of  Pontcac  and  his  companion,  and 
yet  ()*icanasta  came  not.  With  a  sense  of  the  approach  of  day  came  new 
and  discouraging  thoughts,  and,  for  some  minutes,  the  mind  of  the  yn)mff 
officer  became  petrified  with  horror,  as  he  rel!"(ted  on  the  bare  possibilitv  of 
his  escn[)(;  Iioin;^'  intercepted.  The  more  he  liuj^-ered  on  thi>  ;i]>|trehciiKion"  the 
more  be  will  lered  were  his  ideas;  ami' already  in  horrible  puspecfive,  he  be- 
hold the  destvuftion  of  his  nearest  and  don  rest  friends,  and  the  host  of  tho«8 
who  were  humlth'r  followers  and  partakers  in  the  same  destiny.  .Absolutely 
terrified  with  the  misgivings  of  hi:J  own  l|^'artj  he,  in  the  wildness  and  nncon- 
nect((lni's>;  of  his  purpose,  now  resolve:!  (o  nillke  tlw;  attempt  to  return  alone 
rUthongh  he  knew  not  even  the  sif  nation  of  the  j)ath  he  had  so  recently 
quitted.  lie  had  aciually  moved  a  pace  forward  on  his  desperate  enterprise, 
when  he  felt  a  hand  touching  the  extende<l  arm  with  which  he  groped  to  find 
the  entrance  to  bis  hiding  place.  The  unexpected  collision  ,sent  a  cold  shud- 
der llirotigh  his  frame  ;  and  .such  was  the  excitement  to  which  he  haWworked 
himself  up,  it  was  not  without  difficulty  ho  supprcs.scd  an  exclamation,  that 


■h'' 
f 


WAC0U8TA 


i 


O  R 


THE     P  K  O  !•  H   K  C  Y 


100 


5  SO  ar- 
;acc,  the 


orpr'.s«. 
to  find 


inust  inevitably  huve  .sialod  his  doom.     Thf  soft  tone  of  Oucanasta's  voice 
re-assurcd  liim. 

"  Tiie  day  will  soon  clawn."  sliP  vvhi-pored  ;  "  the  Sa;;.ina\v  must  po," 

Willi  the  iviuiii  of  hope  caiiur  llic  si-iisu  of  all  lie  owed  to  the  devotodncss 
of  this  kind  woman.  Ht  jiiasi)cd  the  hand  that  .still  lingt-rod  on  his  arm. 
pressed  it  alhciionateiy  in  his  own.  ani  then  placed  it  in  silenre  on  his  ihroh- 
bnig  Iieart.  /I'li.'  l»rearti.ii.r  of  i^iK^anasta  became  deeper,  and  tlie  youui;  olh- 
cer  fmcied  he  couid  feel  ii"r  ii\inl)lin<.^  with  agitation.  Again,  lio.vivor,  and 
in  a  tone  of  more  suhdu.'il  '^\jlression.  she  whispered  that  he  must  uo. 

There  was  little  uiging  neco.-.sary  to  induce  a  prompt  compliance  with  the 
hint.  Cautiously  emerging  from  iiis  concealment,  Captain  de  Iltrhlimar  now 
folIowe<l  close  in  the  rear  of  his  guide,  who  took  the  same  circuit  of  the  for- 
est to  rejich  the  path  that  led  towards  the  fort.  Thi.s  the}'  speedily  gained, 
tnd  then  pursued  their  course  in  silence,  until  they  at  length  arrived  at  the 
log  where  tiie  exchange  of  mocassins  had  been  made. 

•*•  Here  the  Saganaw  may  take  breath,"  slie  ob.served,  as  she  scati-d  herself 
on  tlie  fallen  tree;  "  the  sleep  of  the  red  skin  is  sound,  and  there  is  no  one 
upon  the  patii  but  Oucanasla.'' 

Anxious  as  he  felt  to  secure  liis  return  to  the  fort,  there  was  an  implied  so- 
licitation in  the  tones  of  her  to  whom  lie  owed  .so  mu 'li  that  presented  Cap- 
tain de  Ilaldimar  from  olTeriiij;  an  objoctii>n,  wiiich  he  feared  might  be  con- 
8trued  into  slight. 

For  a  moment  or  two  the  Indian  remained  with  her  anns  folded,  and  her 
head  bent  over  her  chest ;  and  then,  in  a  low.  deep,  but  tremulous  voicu',  ol>- 
served, — 

'•  When  the  Saganaw  .saved  (Jucanasta  from  perishing  in  the  angry  waters, 
there  was  a  girl  of  the  pale  faces  with  hiai,  wIkho  skin  was  like  the  snows  of 
the  Cana<liaii  winlcr,  and  whose  hair  was  bliick  like  the  fur  of  the  squirrel. 
Oucana.-;ui  saw,''  she  pursued,  dropping  hei*  voice  yet  lower,  •  tliat  the  Saga- 
naw was  loved  by  the  pale  girl,  and  lier  own  heart  was  very  sick,  for  tiie 
Saganaw  had  saved  her  life,  and  she  loved  liim  too.  Hut  she  knew  slie  was 
viiy  foolish,  and  that  an  Indian  girl  could  never  be  the  wife  of  a  handsome 
chief  of  the  Saganaw ;  and  she  prayed  to  the  (Ii\at  (fjjirit  of  the  red  skins  to 
give  her  strength  to  ovenrome  her  feelings  ;  but  the  (Jreat  Spirit  was  oii;;ry 
with  her,  and  would  not  hear  her."  She  paused  a  moment  and  then  abrujttly 
deumnded,  •'  Where  is  that  pale  girl  now?" 

Captain  '1'?  Ilaldimar  had  often  been  rallied,  not  only  by  his  brother  ofH 
cers,  but  even  by  his  sister  and  Madeline  de  Ilaldimar  hi-rself  on  the  conqirest 
he  ha»I  evidently  made  of  the  heart  of  this  Indian  girl.  The  event  to  which 
she  had  alluded  had  taken  place  severai  moitths  previous  to  the  breaking  out 
of  hostilities.  Oucanasta  was  directing  her  IV.iil  bark.  j)ne  evening,  along  the 
shores  of  the  Detroit,  when  a  gust  of  wind  upset  the  canoe,  and  left  its  pilot 
struggling  amid  the  waves.  Captain  de  Ilaidiinar.  who  haj)i)(n"d  to  Jic  on 
the  bank  at  the  moment  with  his  sister  ami  cousin,  was  an  eye-wi)ne.>soi  her 
danger,  aUil  instantly  Hew  down  the  steej)  to  her  iis.-;istam'o^  Ueing  an  «'\('el 
lent  swuumer.he  was  not  long  in  gaining  the  spot,  where,  exli^sted  wilti  iho 
exertion  she  had  made,  and  encumbered  with  her  awkward  nuichecoti,  the 
|)oor  girl  was  already  on  the  point  of  perishing.  But  for  his  timely  ussist- 
auee,  indeed,  .she  must  have  sunk  to  the  bottom  ;  fend'  since  that  period,  the 
grateful  being  had  been  remarked  for  the  stiong  but  unexpressed  attacjiincnt 
she  felt  for  her  deliverer.  This,  lu>\vever,  was  the  first  moment  Captain  do 
.  ilaldimar  became  acquainted  with  the  extent  of  feelings,  the  avowal  of  which 
not  a  little  startled  and  surprised,  anil  even  annoyed  him.  The  last  question, 
however,  sujtgested  a  thought  that  kindled  every  fibre  of  his  being  into  ex- 
pectancy ,—rUucau»»<ta  miglit  be  the  savior  of  tho.se  he  loved  ;  and  ho  felt  thftt 
if  timu  w4|^but  allurded  he,r,  she  would.  He  rose  from  the  log,  dropp<Hi  ^d 
one  kir.eu  before  the  Indian,  seised  both  her  hands  with  eagcrnetw,  and  th«n 
in  tones  of  eanH>st  supplication  whispered, — 


\ 


1- 


I'l 


*m. 


'!^.< 


if:' 


i^'i 


■f      r  it  ■■ 


<     I  -  '     4 


# 


no 


WACOUSTA 


O  R 


THE      PROPHKCT. 


"  Oucanasta  is  right ;  the  pale  girl  with  the  skin  like  snow,  and  hair  likt 
the  fur  of  the  P(|uirrel,  is  the  hricle  of  tlie  Saganaw.  Long  before  he  f?nvo<' 
the  life  of  Oucanasta,  he  know  jwid  lovcil  tliat  pule  girl.  She  is  dearer  t«.  thi 
Saganaw  than  his  own  hlooil ;  hut  she  is  in  the  fort  beyond  the  irreat  nke. 
and  the  tomahawks  of  the  rod  skiiiswill  destroy  her;  for  the  warrior?;  of  that 
fort  have  no  one  to  tell  thorn  of  thoir  danger.  What  says  the  red  irirl?  vnW 
kIic  go  and  *iave  the  liv(»s  of  the  sister  and  the  wife  of  the  Saganaw?" 

The  breathing  of  the  Indian  became  deeper ;  and  Captain  de  llaldiioar  fan- 
cied she  sighed  lieavilV;  as  she  replied. — 

'•  Oiicanasta  is  but  a  weak  woman,  and  her  foot  are  not  swnft  like  tb(*se  of 
a  runner  among  the  red  skins  ;  but  what  the  Saganaw  a.sk.<5,'for  hi.s  faWe  shi 
will  try.  When  she  h:is  seeu  him  safe  to  his  own  fort,  she  will  go  and  pre- 
pare herself  for  the  journey.  The  pale  girl  shall  lay  her  head  on  the  bosom 
of  the  Saganaw,  and  Oucanasta  will  try  to  rejoice  in  her  happiness." 

In  the  fervor  of  his  gratitude,  the  young  officer  caught  the  drooping  form 
of  the  generous  Indian  wildly  to  his  heart ;  his  lips  pressed  hers,  and  during 
the  kiss  that  followed,  the  heart  of  the  latter  bounded  and  throbbe^Nis  if  it 
would  have  passed  from  her  own  into  the  bosom  of  her  conip«nion. 

Never  was  a  kiss  less  premeditated,  less  unchaste.  Gratitude,  not  passion, 
had  called  it  forth  ;  and  had  Madeline  de  Haldimar  been  near  at  the  moment 
the  feeling  that  impelled  the  seeming  infidelity  to  herself  would  hare  been  re 
garded  as  an  additional  claim  on  her  affection.  On  the  whole,  however,  it 
was  a  most  unfortunate  and  ill-timed  kiss,  and,  as  is  often  the  case  under  sucb 
circumstances,  led  to  the  downfall  of  the  woman.  In  the  vivacity  of  his  em- 
brace, Captain  de  Haldimar  had  drawn  his  guide  so  far  forward  npon  the  log,' 
that  she  lost  her  balance,  and  fell  with  a  heavy  and  reverberating  crash  among 
the"  leaves  and  dried  sticks  that  were  strewed  tliickly  around. 

Scarcely  a  second,  elapsed  when  the  forest  was  alive  with  human  yells,  that 
fell  achingly  on  the  ears  of  both ;  and  bounding  warriors  were  heard  od 
every  hand,  rapidly  dividing  the  dense  underwood  they  encountered  in  their 
pursuit.  Quick  as  thought  the  Indian  had  regained  her  feet.  She  grasped 
the  hand  of  her  companion ;  and  hurrying,  though  not  without  cautioa 
along  the  path,  agayp^  stood  on  the  brow  of  the  ravine  through  which  the? 
had  previously  passed. 

"  The  Saganaw  must  go.  alone,  she  whispered.  "  The  red  skins  are  close 
upon  our  trail,  but  they  will  find  only  an  Indian  Woman  when  they  expect 
a  pale  face.     Om^nnsta  will  save  her  friend." 

Captain  de  Haldimar  did  as  he  was  desired.  Clinging  to  the  bushes  that 
lined  the  face  of  the  precipitous  descent,  he  managed  once  more  to  gain  the 
bed  of  the  ravine.  For  a  moment  he  patised  to  listen  to  the  sounds  of  hL« 
pursuers,  whose  footsteps  w<'re  now  audible  on  the  eminence  he  had  just 
quitted  ;  and  then,  gathering  himself  up  for  the  leap  that  was  to  enable  him 
to  clear  the  rivulet,  lie  threw  himself  heavily  forward.  His  feet  alighted  upoD 
an  elevated  and  yielding  substance,  that  gave  way  with  a  crashing  sound  that 
•echoed  far  and  near  throughout  the  forest,  and  he  felt  him.self  secured  as  if  in 
a  trap.  Although  despairing  of  escape,  he  groped  with  his  hands  to  discover 
what  it  wiH  that  thus  detained  him,  and  found  he  had  fallen  through  a  barii 
canoe,  the  bottom  of  wlych  had  been  turned  upwards.  The  heart  of  the  fu- 
gitive now  .sank  within  him  :  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  his  retreat  was  in- 
tcrcepte<l.  Tlie  canoe  had  been  placed  there  since  he  last  passed  through  the 
rapine :  and  it  was  evident  from  the  close  and  triumphant  yell  that  followed 
tlie  rending  of  the  frail  bark,  such  a  result  had  been  anticipated. 

Stunned  as  he  was  by  the  terrific  cries  of  the  savages,  »nd  confused  as  w<jre 
his  ideas,  Captain  de  Haldimar  had  still  presence  of  mind  to  perceive<the  path 
.tsclf  oflered  him  no  further  security.  He  therefore  quitted  it  altogether,  and 
struck,  in  an  oblique  direction,  up  the  uppo.site  face  of  the  i^uie.  ScutiIt 
had  he  gone  twenty  yards,  when  he  heu'd  the  voices  of  sevdRI  Indians  con- 
versing  earnestly  near  the  canoe  he  had  just  quitted ;  and  preaently  afterwardi 


• 


W  A  C  O  C  8  T  A  ;      OR,     THE     PROPHECY. 


Ill 


be  oould  distinctly  hear  them  asffondin^  the  opposite  brow  of  the  ravine  by 
the  path  he  had  recently  congratulated  himself  on  having;  abandoned.  To  ad- 
vance or  to  recede  was  now  equally  impracticable :  for,  on  overy  side,  he  was 
begirt  by  enemies,  into  whose  hands  a  single  false  step  must  inevitabl}'  betray 
hinj.  What  would  he  not  have  given  for  the  presence  of  Oucanasta,  who  was 
so  capable  of  advising  him  in  this  difficulty !  but.  from  the  moment  of  his  de- 
scending into  the  ravine,  he  had  utterly  lost  sight  of  her^ 

The  spot  on  which  he  now  i-estetl  was  covered  with  thick  brushwood,  closely 
interwoven  at  their  tops,  but  affording  sufficient  space  beneath  for  a  temporary 
close  concealment ;  so  that,  unless  some  Indian  should  touch  him  with  his 
foot,  there,  was  little  seeming  probabilit}'  of  his  being  discovered  by  the  eye. 
Under  this  he  crept,  and  lay,  bre."»thless  and  motionless,  with  his  head  raised 
from  the  gi'ound,  and  his  ear  on  the  .'itretch  for  the  slightest  noise.  For  several 
minutes  he  remained  in  this  position,  vainly  seeking  to  catch  the  sound  of  a 
voice,  or  the  foil  of  a  footstf»p ;  but  the  most  deathlike  silence  had  succeeded 
to  the  fierce  yellings  that  had  so  recently  rent  the  forest.  At  times  he  fancied 
he  could  distinguish  faint  noises  in  the  direction  of  the  encampment ;  and  so 
certain  was  he  of  this,  he  at  length  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Indians, 
either  baffled  in  their  search,  had  relinquished  the  pursuit,  or,  having  encount- 
eied  Oucanasta,  had  been  thrown  on  a  different  scent.  His  first  intention  had 
been  to  Ue  concealeA  until  the  following  night,  when  the  warriors,  no  longer 
on  the  alert,  should  leave  the  path  once  more  open  to  him  ;  but  now  that  the 
conviction  of  their  return  was  strong  on  his  mind,  he  changed  his  determina- 
tion, resolving  to  make  the  best  of  his  way  to  the  fort  with  the  aid  of  the  ap- 
proaching dawn.  With  this  view  he  partly  withdrew  his  body  from  beneath 
its  canopy  of  underwood ;  but  scarcely  had  he  done  so,  when  a  hundred  tongues, 
like  the  baying  of  so  many  blood-hounds,  again  rent  the  air  with  their  wild 
cries,  which  seemed  to  rise  up  from  the  very  bowels  of  the  earth,  and  close  to 
the  appalled  ear  of  the  young  officer. 

Scarcely  conscious  of  what  he  did,  Captain  de  Haldimar  grasped  one"  of  his 
pistols,  for  he  fancied  he  felt  the  hot  breathing  of  human  life  upon  hip.  cheek. 
With  a  sickly  sensation  of  fear,  he  turned  to  satisfy  himself  whether  it  was 
not  an  illusion  of  his  heated  imagination.  What,  however,  was  his  dismay, 
when  he  beheld  ben.ding  over  him  a  dark  and  heavy  form,  the  outline  of  which 
alone  ^va8  distinguishable  in  the  deep  gloom  in  which  the  ravine  remained  en- 
veloped !  Desperation  was  in  the  lieart  of  the  excited  officer :  he  cocked  his 
]pistol ;  but  scarcely  had  the  sharp  clicking  sound  floated  on  the  air,  when  he 
felt  a  powerful  hand  upon  his  chest ;  and,  with  as  much  facility  as  if  he  had 
been  a  child,  was  he  i-aised  by  that  invisible  hand  to  his  feet.  A  dozen  war- 
riors now  sprang  to  the  assistance  of  their  comrade,  when  the  whole,  having 
disarmed  and  bound  their  prisoner,  led  liim  back  in  triumph  to  their  encamp- 
ment. 


.y 


CHAPTER  XVm. 


The  fires  of  the  Indians  were  now  nearly  extinct ;  but  the  faint  light  of  the 
(kst  dawning  day  threw  a  ghastly,  sickly,  hue  over  the  countenances  of  the 
savages,  which  rendered  them  even  more  terrific  in  their  war  paint.  The 
chiew  grouped  tliemselves  immediately  around  their  prisoner,  while  the  inferior 
warriors,  forming  an  outer  circle,  stood  leaning  their  dark  forms  upon  their 
nflcs,  and  following,  with  keen  and  watchful  eye,  every  movement  of  their 
captive.  Hitherto  the  unfortunate  officer  <had  been  too  much  engrossed  by 
hi^iP^pair  to  pay  any  immediate  attention  to  the  individual  who  had  first 
discovered  and  seized  him.  It  was  sufficient  for  him  to  know  all  hope  of  the 
Miety  of  the  garrison  hud  perished  with  his  captivity ;  and,  with  that  ruck 


•^ 


n 


I  ii>f> 


,: 


I. 


(54 


f! 


r  't. 


112 


WACOUSTA 


OR,     THE     PROPHECY 


;'r. 

I- 


!| 


Y' 


lesBiieBs  of  life  which  often  springs  from  the  very  consciousness  of  inabilitv  t'j 
preserve  it,  he  now  sullenly  awaited  the  death  which  he  expected  at  each  mo- 
ment would  be  inflicted.  Suddenly  his  ear  was,  startled  by  an  interrogatory, 
in  En2;lii<h,  from  one  who  stood  behind  him. 

With  A  movement  of  surprise.  Captain  de  Haldimar  turned  to  gamine  big 
questioner.  Tt  was  the  dark  nnd  ferocious  warrior  wlio  had  exnibited  the 
scalp  of  his  iti-fatod  seiTimt.  For  a  mojiient  the  ofliccr  fixed  his  eyes  firmly 
and  unsln"inkinji,'ly  on  those  of  t!u'  savafj;e,  seeking  to  reconcile  the  contradic- 
tion that  existed  botwcen  his  dress  smd  features  imd  the  purity  of  the  English 
he  ha:l  Just  spoken.  The  other  siov  his  (h-ift,  and,  imjjatient  of  the  scrutiny, 
again  repeated,  as  he  fiercely  pulled  I  lit'  strong  leathern  thong  by  which  the 
prisoner  now  found  himself  secured  to  his  girdle, — 

"  Who  and  what  are  you  ? — wlu'nce  come  you  ? — and  for  what  purpose  are 
you  here  ?"  Then,  as  if  s^uek  by  some  sudden  recollection,  he  laid  his  hand 
upon  the  shoulder  of  his  victim  ;  and,  while  his  eye  grew  upon  his  features, 
he  pursued,  in  a  tone  of  vehemence, — ''  Ha !  by  heaven,  I  should  know  that 
face  ! — the  curbed  lin(!S  of  the  b?ood  of  De  Ilaldimar  are  stamped  upon  that 
brow  !  liut  stay,  one  proof  and  I  am  satisfied."  While  he  yet  spoke  he  dashed 
the  menial  hat  of  his  captive  to  the  earth,  put  aside  his  hair,  and  then,  with 
fiendish  exultation,  pursued, — "  It  is  even  so.  Do  you  recollect  the  battle  of 
the  plains  of  Abraham,  Captain  de  Ilaldimar  ?  Kecollect  you  the  French 
officer  who  aimed  so  desperately  at  your  life,  and  whose  object  was  defeated 
by  a  soldier  of  j'Oiir  regiment  ?  I  am  that  oflicer ;  my  victim  escaped  me  then, 
but  not  for  ever.  The  hour  of  vengeance  is  now  nearly  arrived,  and  your 
capture  i«  the  pledge  of  my  success.  Hark,  how  the  death-crj'  pf  all  liis  hated 
race  will  ring  in  madness  on  your  father's  ear  !" 

Amazenient,  stupefaction,  and  horror,  filled  the  mind  of  the  wretched  officer 
at  this  extraordinary  declaration.  He  perfectly  recollected  that'  the  individual, 
who  had  evinced  so  much  persor  al  hostility  on  the  occasion  alluded  to,  was 
hideed  a  man  wearing  the  Frencl  uniform,  although  at  the  head  of  a  band  of 
savages,  and  of  a  stature  and  strength  similar  to  those  of  him  who  now  so 
fiercely  avowed  himself  the  bitter  and  deadly  foe  of  all  his  race.  If  this  were 
so.  and  his  tone  and  language  left  little  room  for  doubt,  the  doom  of  the  ill- 
fated  gariMSon  was  indeed  irrevocably  sealed.  This  mysterious  enemv  evi- 
dently possessed  pieat  influence  in  the  cormcils  of  the  Indians :  and  while  tho 
hot  breath  of  his  hatred  continued  to  fan  the  fiame  of  fierce  bostility  tha£  had 
been  kindled  in  the  bosom  of  Ponteac,  whoso  particular  friend  he  appeared  to 
be,  there  would  be  no  end  to  the  atrocities  that  must  follow.  Great,  however,  ■ 
as  was  the  dismay  of  Captain  de  Haldimar,  who,  exhausted  with  the  adven- 
tures of  the  night,  presented  a  ghastly  image  of  anxiety  and  fatigue,  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  repress  the  feelings  of  indignation  with  which  the  lan- 
guage of  this  fierce  man  had  inspired  him. 

"  If  you  are  in  reality  a  French  ofilfcer,"  he  said,  "and  not  an  Englishman 
as  your  accent  would  denote,  the  sentiments  you  have  now  avowed  may  well 
justify  the  belief,  that  you  have  been  driven  with  ignominy  from  a  service 
which  your  jtresencc  nmst  eternally  have  disgraced.  There  is  no  country  in 
EuroiK"  that  would  willingly  claim  you  for  its  subject.  Nay,  even  the  savage 
race,  with  whom  you  are  now  connected,  would,  if  apprised  of  your  true 
nature,  spurn  you  as  a  thing  unworthy  to  herd  even  with  their  wolf-dogs." 

A  fierce  sardonic  laugh  burst  from  the  lips  of  the  warrior,  but  thi^was  so 
mingled  with  rage  as  to  give  an  almost  devilish  expression  to  his  featitfies. 

'•  Ignominy — ignominy  1"  he  repeated,  while  his  right  hand  played  conrul- 
Biytly  with  the  handle  of  his  tomahawk  ;  "  is  it  for  a  De  Haldimar  to  taunt 
me  with  ignominy  ?  Fool !"  he  pursued,  after  a  momentary  pause,  "you  have 
sealed  vour  doom."  Then  abruptly  quitting  the  handle  of  his  weapon,  he 
ihrw^t  his  hand  into  his  bosom,  and  again  drawing  forth  the  reekiiM^^lp  of 
Donellan,  he  dashed  it  furioasly  in  the  face  of  his  prisonerk  "  Notll^  houni 
•JBce,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  chetTed  mi 


myself  with  the  tfidu^ht  that  the  sCAlp  of 


->» 


m 


waoousta;    or,  the   prophboy. 


113 


■yv- 


bbman 

ly  well 

Bervico 

itry  in 

savage 

i\T  true 

so 


>n. 


fclpof 

hourf 

Lip  of  ' 


De  Haldiinar  was  in  my  pouch.    Now,  indeed,  do  I  glorj  in  my  mistsk«. 
The  torture  will  be  a  more  fitting  death  for  you." 

Had  an  arm  of  the  insulted  soldier  been  at  liberty,  the  offence  would  not 
have  gone  unavenged  even  there ;  for  such  was  the  desperation  of  his  heart, 
that  he  felt  he  could  have  hugged  the  death  struggle  with  his  insolent  captor, 
notwithstanding  the  fearful  odds,  nor  quitted  him  until  one  or  both  shoula 
have  paid  the  debt  of  fierce  enmity  with  life.  As  it  was  he  could  only  betray, 
by  his  flashing  eye,  escited  look,  and  the  impatient  play  of  his  foot  upon  the 
ground,  the  deep  indignation  that  consumed  his  heart. 

The  tall  savage  exulted  in  the  mortification  he  had  awakened,  and  as  his 
eye  glanced  insolently  from  head  to  foot  along  his  enemy,  its  expression  told 
how  much  he  lauj^hed  at  the  impotence  of  his  anger.  Suddenly,  however,  a 
■change  passed  over  his  features.  The  mocassin  of  the  officer  had  evidently 
attracted  his  attention,  and  he  now  demanded,  in  a  more  serious  and  impera- 
tive tone, — 

"  Ila !  what  means  this  disgiiise  ?  Who  is  the  vrretch  whom  I  have  slain, 
mistaking  him  for  a  nobler  victim ;  and  how  comes  it  that  an  officer  of  the 
English  garrison  appears  here  in  the  garb  of  a  servant  1  By  heaven,  it  is 
so  1  you  are  come  as  a  spy  into  the  camp  ef  the  Indians  to  steal  away  the 
councils  «f  the  chiefs.    Speak,  what  have  you  heard  1" 

With  these  questions  returned  the  calm  and  self-possession  of  the  officer. 
He  at  once  saw  the  importance  of  his  answer,  on  which  hung  not  merely  his 
own  last  faint  chance  of  tofety,  but  that  also  of  his  generous  deUverer.  Strug- 
gling to  subdue  the  disgust  which  he  felt  at  holding  converse  with  this  atrocious 
monster,  he  asked  in  turn, — 

"  Am  I  then  the  only  one  whom  the  warriors  have  overtaken  in  their  pio 
suit?" 

"  There  was  a  woman,  the  sister  of  that  boy,"  and  he  pointed  contemptu- 
ously to  the  young  chief  who  had  so  recently  assailed  him,  and  who  now,  in 
common  with  his  followers,  stood  impatiently  listening  to  a  colloquy  that  was 
unintelligible  to  all.  "  Speak  truly,  was  sJie  not  the  traitress  who  conducted 
you  here  ?"        - 

"  Had  j^ou  found  me  here,"  returned  the  officer,  with  difficulty  repressing 
his  feelings,  "  there  might  have  been  some  ground  for  the  assertion ;  but 
surel  V  the  councils  of  the  chiefs  could  not  be  overheard  at  the  distant  point  at 
which  you  discovered  me." 

•  "  Why  then  were  you  there  in  this  disguise  1 — and  who  is  he,"  again  hold- 
ing up  the  bloody  scalp,  "  whom  I  have  despoiled  of  this  ?" 

"There  are  few  of  the  Ottawa  Indians,"  returned  Captain  de  Haldimar, 
"  who  are  ignorant  that  I  once  saved  that  young  woman's  life.  Ie  it  then  so 
very  extraordinarv  an  attachment  should  have  been  the  consequence  t  The 
man  whom  you  slew  was  my  servant.  I  had  brought  him  out  with  me  for 
protectionf^uring  my  interview  with  the  woman,  and  I  exchanged  my  uniform 
with  hin^  for  the  same  purpose.  There  is  nothing  in  this,  however,  to  warrant 
the  supposition  of  my  being  a  spy."  . 

-  Durmg  the  delivery  of  these  more  than  equivocal  sentences,  which,  how- 
ever, hefelt  were  fuUy  justified  by  circumstances,  the  young  officer  had  strug- 
gled to  appear  calm  and  confident ;  but,  despite  of  his  exertions,  his  con- 
sciousness caused  his  cheek  to  color,  and  nis  eye  to  quail  beneath  the 
searching  glance  of  his  ferocious  enemy.  The  latter  thrust  his  hand  into  his 
diesl;  and  slowly  drew  forth  the  rope  he  bad  previously  exhibited  to  Ponteac 

"  Do  you  think  me  a  fool,  Oaptiun  de  Haldimar,"  he  observed  sncoringly, 
"  that  you  expsct  so  paltry  a  tide  to  be  palmed  successfully  on  mv  under* 
standitg  *?  An  English  officer  is  not  very  likely  to  run  the  risk  of  breaking 
his  neck  byliaving  recourse  to  such  a  means  of  exit  from  a  besieged  garrison, 
merely  to  intrigue  with  an  Ifidian  woman,  when  there  are  plenty  uf  soldiers 
wires  within,  and  that  too  at  an  hour  when  he  knows  the  scouts  of  his  ene 

.  8  ' 


•t!! 


i* 


m 


~.t 


\  ■r    ■ 


m 


»j  I 


Is 


iJ^ 


M 


^1.:' 


■I. 


£:■ 


waoousta;  or,  thb  frophbct. 


mies  are  prowling  in  the  neighborhood.    Captain  de  Haldimar,"  he  concluded, 
Biowiy  and  deliberately,  "  you  have  lied." 

Despite  of  the  last  insult,  his  prisoner  remained  calm.  The  very  obser> 
ration  that  had  just  been  made  afforded  him  a  final  hope  of  exculpation, 
which,  if  it  benefited  not  himself,  might  still  be  of  service  to  the  generous 
Oucanasta. 

"The  onus  of  sucl^ language,"  he  observed  coolly  and  with  dignity,  «&lki 
not  on  him  to  whom  it  is  addressed,  but  on  him  who  utters  it.  Yet  one  w^ 
professes  to  have  been  himself  a  soldier,  must  see  in  this  very  circumstance  a 
proof  of  my  innocence.  Had  I  been  sent  out  as  a  spy  to  reconnoitre  the 
movements,  and  to  overhear  the  council  of  our  enemies,  the  gate  would  have 
been  open  for  my  egress ;  but  that  rope  is  in  itself  an  evidenou  I  must  have 
stolen  forth  unknown  to  the  garrison." 

Whether  it  was  that  the  warrior  had  his  own  particular  reasons  for  attach- 
ing truth  to  this  statement,  or  that  he  merely  pretended  to  do  so.  Captain  de 
Haldimar  saw  with  secret  satisfaction  his  last  argument  was  conclusive. 

"  Well,  be  it  so,"  retorted  the  savage,  while  a  fcrocious^mile  passed  over  his 
swarthy  featiupes  j  "but,  whether  you  have  been  here  as  a  spy,  othave  merely 
ventured  out  in  prosecution  of  an  intrigue,  it  matters  not.  Before  the  sun 
has  travelled  far  in  the  meridian  you  die ;  and  the  tomahawk  of  your  father's 
deadly  foe — of— of — of  Wacousta,  as  I  am  called,  shall  be  the  first  to  drink 
your  blood." 

The  oflBcer  made  {i  final  effort  at  mercy.  "  Who  or  what  you  are,  or  whence 
vour  hatred  of  my  family,  I  know  not,"  he  said  j  "  but  surely  I  have  never 
mjured  you :  wherefore,  then,  this  insatiable  thirst  for  my  blood  ?  If  you  are 
indeed  a  Christian  and  a  soldier,  let.  your  heart  be  touched  with  humanity, 
and  procure  my  restoration  to  my  friends,  you  once  attempted  my  life  in 
honorable  combat,  why  not  wait,  then,  tmtil  a  fitting  opportunity  shall  give 
not  a  bound  and  defenceless  victim  to  your  steel,  but  one  whose  resist^ce 
may  render  him  a  conquest  worthy  of  your  arm  V\ 

"What !  and  be  balked  of  the  chance  of  my  just  revenge  ?  Hear  me,  Cap- 
tain de  Haldimar,"  he  pursued,  in  that  low,  quick,  deep  tone  that  told  all  the 
strong  excitement  of  his  heart : — "  I  have,  it  is  true,  no  particular  enmity  to 
yourself,  further  than  that  you  are  a  De  Haldimar ;  but  hell  does  not  supply 
a  feeling  half  so  bitter  as  my  enmity  to  your  proud  father :  and  months,  niay 
years,  have  I  passed  in  the  hope  of  such  an  hour  as  this.  .  For  this  I  hrfre  for- 
sworn my  race  and  become — what  you  now  behold  me — a  savage  both  in 
garb  and  character.  But  this  matters  not,"  he  continued,  fiercely  and  impa- 
tiently, "  your  doom  is  sealed ;  and  before  another  sun  has  risen,  your  stem 
other's  gaze  shall  be  blasted  with  the  sight  of  the  mangled  carcass  of  his  first 
bom.  Ha !  ha !  ha !"  and  he  lq,ughed  low  and  exultingly,  "  even  now  I  think 
I  see  him  withermg,  if  heart  so  hard  can  wither,  beneath  this  proof  of  my 
undying  hate." 

"  Fiend  It— monster ! — devil !"  exclaimed  the  excited  oflBcer,  novir  losing  sight 
of  all  considerations  of  prudence  in  the  deep  horror  inspired  by  his  captor  :— 
"  Kill  me — torture  me— commit  any  cruelty  on  me,  if  such  be  your  savage 
will ;  but  outrage  not  humanity  by  the  fulfilment  of  your  last  disgusting 
threat.  Suffer  not  a  father's  heart  to  be  agonised — a  father's  eye  to  be 
blasted — ^with  a  view  of  the  mangled  remains  of  him  to  whom  he  has  given 
life." 

>'  Again  the  ravage  rudely  pulled  the  thong  that  bound  his  prisoner  to  his 
girdle,  and  removing  his  tomahawk  from  his  belt,  and  holding  its  sullied 
point  close  ;under  the  eye  of  the  former,  exclaimed,  as  he  bent  eagerly  over 
him,—  /        * 

"  See  you  this,  Captain  de  Haldimar  ?    At  the  still  hour  of  midnight,  while 

fbu  had  abandoned  your  guard  to  revel  in  the  arms  of  your  Indian  beauty, 
stole  into  the  fort  by  means  of  the  same  rope  that  you  had  used  in  quitting 
it    TJmjeen  by  the  sentinels,  I  gained  your  father's  apartment.    It  yv^as  thi 


wacovsta;  or,  the  prophecy. 


115 


first  time  we  had  met  for  twenty  years ;  and  I  do  believe,  that  had  the  very 
devil  himself  presented  himself  in  my  place,  he  would  have  been  received  with 
fewer  marks  of  horror.  Oh,  how  that  proud  man's  eye  quailed  beneath  this 
glittermg  blade !  He  attempted  to  call  out,  but  my  look  paralysed  his  tongue, 
and  cold  drops  of  sweat  stole  rapidly  down  his  brow  and  check.  Then  it  was 
that  my  seared  heart  once  more  beat  with  the  intoxication  of  triumph.  Your 
father  was  alone  and  unarmed,  and  throughout  the  fort  not  a  sound  was  to  be 
heard,  save  the  distant  tread  of  the  sentinels.  I  could  have  laid  him  dead  at 
my  feet  at  a  single  blow,  and  yet  have  secured  my  retreat.  But  no,  that  was 
not  my  object.  I  came  to  taunt  him  with  the  promise  of  my  revenge — to  tell 
him  the  hour  of  my  triumph  was  approaching  fast ;  and,  ha ! "  he  concluded, 
laughing  hideously  as  he  passed  his  large  rude  hand  through  the  wavy  hair 
of  the  now  uncovered  officer,  "  this,  is,  indeed,  a  fair  and  unexpected  first 
earnest  of  the  full  reden^ption  of  my  pledge.  No — no !"  he  continued,  as  if 
talking  to  himself,  "  he  must  not  die.  Tantalus-like,  he  shall  have  death  ever 
apparently  within  his  grasp  j  but  until  all  his  race  have  perished  before  his 
eyes,  he  shall  not  attain  it." 

Hithei'to  the  Indians  had  preserved  an  attitude  of  quiet,  listening  to  the 
interrogatories  put  to  the  prisoner  with  that  wonder  and  curiosity  with  which 
a  savage  people  hear  a  language  different  from  their  o\vnj  and  marking  the 
several  emotions  that  were  elicited  in  the  course  of  the  animated  colloquy  of 
the  pale  faces.  Gradually,  however,  they  became  impatient  under  its  dura- 
tion ;  and  many  of  them,  m  the  excitement  produced  by  the  fierce  manner 
of  him  who  was  called  Wacousta,  fixed  their  dark  eyes  upon  the  captive, 
while  they  grasped  the  handles  of  their  tomahawks,  as  if  they  would  have 
disputed  with  the  former  the  privilege  of  dying  his  weapon  first  in  his  blood. 
When  they  saw  the  warrior  hold  up  his  menacing  blade  to  the  eye  of  his  vic- 
tim, while  he  passed  his  hand  through  the  redundant  hair,  that  at  once  in- 
ferred the  sacrifice  was  about  to  be  completed,  and  rushing  furiously  forward, 
they  boimded,  and  leaped,  and  yelled,  and  brandished  their  own  weapons  in 
the  most  appalling  manner. 

Already  had  the  unhappy  officer  given  himself  up  for  lost;  fifty  bright 
tomahawks  were  playing  about  his  head  at  the  same  instant,  and  dcat^^ 
that  death  which  is  never  without  terror  to  the  young,  however  brave  tBiy 
may  be  in  the  hour  of  generous  conflict — seemed  to  have  arrived  at  last.  He 
raised  his  eyes  to  heaven,  committing  his  soul  to  his  God  in  the  same  silent 
prayer  that  he  offered  up  for  the  preservation  of  his  friends  and  comrades ; 
and  then  bending  them  upon  the  earth,  summoned  all  his  coUectedncss  and 
courage  to  sustdin  liim  through  the  tn&T.  At  the  very  moment,  however, 
when  he  expected  to  feel  the  crashing  steel  within  his  brain,  he  felt  himself 
.again  violently  pulled  by  the  thong  that  secured  his  hands.  In  the  next  in- 
sUint  he  was  pressed  close  to  the  chest  of  his  vast  enemy,  who,  with  one  arm 
encircling  his  prisonei',  and  the  other  brandishing  his  nerce  blade  in  rapid 
evolutions  round  his  head,  kept  the  yelling  band  at  bay,  with  the  evident  un- 
8h|>ken  determination  to  mamtain  his  sole  and  acknowledged  right  to  the 
disposal  of  his  captive.  , 

For  several  moments  the  event  appeared  doubtful;  but,  notwithstanding 
his  extreme  agility  in  the  use  of  a  weapon,  in  the  management  of  which  he 
evinced  all  the  dexterity  of  the  most  practised  native,  the  odds  were  fearfully 
against  Wacousta ;  and  while  his  flashing  eye  and  swelling  chest  betrayed  his 
purpose  rather  to  perish  himself  than  suffer  the  infringement  of  his  claim,  it 
was  evident  that  numbers  must,  in  the  end,  prevail  against  him.  On  an  ap- 
peal to  Ponteac,  however,  of  which  he  now  suddenly  bethought  himself,  the 
authority  of  the  latter  was  successfully  exerted,  and  he  was  again  left  in  the 
full  and  undisturbed  possession  of  his  prisoner. 

A  low  and  earnest  conversation  now  ensued  among  the  chiefs,  in  which,  as 
before,  Wacousta  bore  a  principal  part.  When  this  was  terminated,  several 
Indians  approached  the  unhappy  officer,  and  unfastening  the  thong  with 


■(  ; 


1 


.M 
W 


1  '■    ■{    V 


K'i' 


41 


'if  I 

t 

n 

n 

it 

I 


1 1 

III 


116 


wacodsta;  or,  the  pbopheot. 


1 

f  { 


i«i, 


iu 


which  his  hands  were  firmly  and  even  painfully  girt,  deprived  him  both  of 
coat,  waistcoat  and  shirt.  He  was  then  bound  a  second  time  in  the  same 
manner,  his  body  besmeared  with  paint,  and  his  head  so  disguised  as  to  give 
him  the  caricature  semblance  of  Indian  warrior.  When  these  preparations 
were  completed,  he  was  led  to  the  tree  in  which  he  had  been  previously  con- 
cealed, and  there  firmly  secured.  Meanwhile  Wacousta,  at  the  head  of  a  nu- 
merous band  of  wamors,  had  departed  once  more  in  the  direction  of  the  fbrt. 

With  the  rising  of  the  sun  now  vanished  all  traces  of  the  mist  that  had  fallen 
since  the  early  hours  of  morning,  leavfng  the  unfortunate  officer  ample  leisure 
to  survey  the  difficulties  of  his  position.  He  had  fancied,  from  the  course 
taken  by  his  guide  the  previous  night,  that  the  plain  or  oasis,  as  we  have  else 
where  termed  it,  lay  in  the  very  heart  of  the  forest ;  but  that  route  now  proT 
ed  to  have  been  circuitous.  The  tree  to  which  he  was  bound  was  one  of  a 
slight  belt,  separating  the  encampment  from  the  open  grounds  which  extend 
ed  towards  the  river,  and  which  was  so  thiii  and  scattered  on  that  side  as  to 
leave  the  clear  silver  waters  of  the  Detroit  visible  at  intervals.  Oh,  what 
^  would  he  not  have  given,  at  that  cheering  sight,  to  have  had  his  limbs  fl-ee, 
and  his  chance  of  life  staked  on  the  swiftness  of  his  flight !  While  he  had  im- 
agined himself  begirt  by  interminable  forest,  he  felt  as  one  whose  very  thought 
to  elude  those  who  were  in,  some  degree,  the  deities  of  that  wild  scene,  must 
be  paralysed  in  its  first  conception.  But  here  was  the  vivifying  picture  of  ci- 
vilised nature.  Corn  fields,  although  trodden  down  and  destroyed — Hwelling 
houses,  although  biu-ntor  dilapidated — told  of  the  existence  of  those  who 
were  of  the  same  race  with  himself;  and  notwithstanding  these  had  perished 
even  as  he  must  perish,  still  there  was  something  in  the  aspect  of  the  very 
ruins  of  their  habitations  which,  contrasted  with  the  solemn  gloom  of  the 
forest,  carried  a  momentary  and  indefinable  consolation  to  his  spirit.  Then 
there  was  the  ripe  and  teeming  orchard,  and  the  low  whitewashed  cabin  of  the 
Canadian  peasant,  to  whem  the  offices  of  chanty,  and  the  duties  of  himianity, 
were  no  strangers;  and  who,  also,  although  the  secret  enemies  of  his  country, 
had  no  motive  for  personal  hostility  towards  himself.  Then,  on  the  river  itself 
even  at  that  early  hour,  was  to  be  seen,  fastened  to  the  long  stake  driven  into 
tt|bed,  or  secured  by  the  rude  anchor  of  stone  appended  to  a  cable  of  twisted 
JHmc,  the  light  canoe  or  clumsy  periagua  of  the  peasant  fisherman,  who, 
ever  and  anon,  drew  up  from  its  deep  bosom  whatever  tenant  of  these  waters 
might  chance  to  affix  itself  to  the  traitorous  hook.  It  is  true  that  his  vi^w 
of  these  objects  was  only  occasional  and  indistinct;  but  his  intimate  acquain- 
tance with  the  localities  beyond  brought  everything  before  Captain  de  Haldi- 
mar's  eye ;  and  even  while  he  sighed  to  think  they  were  for  ever  cut  off  from 
his  reach,  he  already,  in  idea,  fc^owed  the  course  of  flight  he  should  pursue 
were  the  power  but  afforded  him. 

From  this  train  of  painful  and  exciting  thought  the  wretched  captive  was 
aroused,  by  a  faint  but  continued  yelling  m  a  distant  part  of  the  forest,  and  in 
the  direction  that  had  been  taken  by  Wacousta  and  his  warriors.  Then^  after 
a  short  ii^erval,  came  the  loud  booming  of  the  cannon  of  the  fort,  carried  on 
with  a  spirit  and  promptitude  that  told  of  some  pressing  and  dar^rous  em- 
ergency, and  fainter  afterwards  the  sharp  shrill  reports  of  the  rifles,  bearing 
evidence  the  savages  were  already  in  close  collision  with  the  garrison.  "Va- 
rious were  the  conjectures  that  passed  rapidly  through  the  mind  of  the  young 
officer,  during  a  firing  that  had  called  almost  every  Indian  in  the  encampment 
away  to  the  scene  of  action,  save  the  two  or  three  young  Ottawas  who  had  been 
left  to  guard  his  own  person,  and  who  lay  upon  the  sward  near  him,  with 
head  erect  and  ear  sharply  set,  listening  to  the  startling  sounds  of  conffict. 
What  the  motive  of  the  hurried  departure  of  the  Indians  was  he  knew  not  j 
but  he  had  conjectured  the  object  of  the  fierce  Wacousta  was  to  possess  him- 
self of  the  uniform  in  which  his  wretched  servant  was  clothed,  that  no  mistake 
might  occur  in.  his  identity,  when  its  true  owner  should  be  exhibited  in  it. 
within  view  of  ;he  fort,  mangled  and  disfigured,  in  the  manner  that  fierce  ana 


it  koovm a;    or,  ths   prophecy. 


11? 


Vysterious  man  had  already  threatened.  It  was  exceedingly  probable  the 
f>ody  of  Doncllan  had  been  mistaken  for  his  own,  and  that  in  the  anxiety  of 
his  father  to  prevent  the  Indians  from  carrying  it  olf,  the  cannon  had  been 
directed  to  open  upon  them.  But  if  this  were  the  case,  how  were  the  reports 
of  the  rifles,  and  the  fierce  yeUings  that  continued,  save  at  intervals,  to  ring 
throughout  the  forest  to  be  accounted  for?  The  bullets  of  the  Indians  evi- 
dently could  not  reach  the  fort,  and  they  were  too  wily,  and  attached  too 
much  value  to  their  ammunition,  to  risk  a  shot  that  was  not  certain  of  carry- 
ing a  wound  with  it.  For  a  moment  the  fact  itself  flashed  across  his  mind, 
and  he  attributed  the  fire  of  small  arms  to  the  attack  and  defence  of  a  party 
that  had  been  sent  out  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  body,  supposed  to  be 
his  own ;  yet,  if  so,  again  how  was  he  to  account  for  his  not  hearing  the  re- 
port of  a  single  musket?  His  ear  was  too  well  practised  not  to  know  the 
riiarp  crack  of  the  rifle  from  the  heavy  dull  discharge  of  the  musket,  and' as 
yet  the  former  only  had  been  distinguishable,  amid  tne  intervals  that  ensued 
between  each  sullen  booming  of  the  cannon.  While  this  impression  continued 
on  the  mind  of  the  anxious  ofiBcer,  he  caught,  with  the  avidity  of  desperation, 
at  the  faint  and  implorable  idea  that  his  companions  might  be  able  to  pene- 
trate to  his  place  of  concealment,  and  procure  his  liberation ;  but  when  he 
found  the  firing,  instead  of  drawing  nearer,  was  confined  to  the  same  spot, 
and  even  more  fiercely  kept  up  by  the  Indians  towards  the  close,  he  again 
gave  way  to  his  despair,  and  resigning  himself  to  his  fate,  no  longer  sought 
comfort  in  vain  speculation  as  to  its  cause.  His  ear  now  caught  the  report  of 
the  last  shell  as  it  exploded,  and  then  all  was  still  and  hushed,  as  if  what  he 
had  so  recently  h«ara  was  but  a  dream. 

The  first  intimation  given  him  of  the  return  of  the  savages  was  the  death 
howl,  set  up  by  the  women  within  the  encampment.  Captain  de  Ilaldimar 
turned  his  eyes,  instinct  with  terror,  towards  the  scene,  and  beheld  the  war- 
,riors  slowly  issuing  firom  the  opposite  side  of  the  forest  into  the  plain,  and 
bearing  in  silence  the  dead  and  stifiened  forms  of  those  who  had  been  cut 
down  by  the  destructive  fire  from  the  fort.  Their  mien  was  sullen  and  re- 
vengeful, and  more  than  one  dark  and  gleaming  eye  did  he  encounter  turned 
upon  lum,  with  an  expression  that  seemed  to  say  a  separate  torture  should 
avenge  the  death  of  each  of  their  fallen  comrades. 

The  early  part  of  the  morning  wore  away  in  preparation  for  the  interment 
of' the  sTiiin.  These  were  placed  in  rows  under  the  council  shed,  where  they 
were  attended  by  their  female  relatives,  who  composed  the  features  and  con- 
fined the  limbs,  while  the  gloomy  warriors  dug,  within  the  limit  of  the  en- 
campment, rude  graves,  of  a  depth  just  sufficient  to  receive  the  body.  When 
thpse  were  completed,  the  dead  were  deposited,  with  the  usual  suporstitious 
ceremonies  of  these  people,  in  their  several  receptacles,  after  which  a  mound 
of  earth  was  thrown  up  over  each,  each  and  the  whole  covered  with  roijnd  logs, 
so  disposed  as  to  form  a  tomb  of  semicircular  shape :  at  the  head  of  e<ich  grave 
was  finally  planted  a  pole,  bearing  various  devices  in  paint,  intended  to  illus- 
trate the  warlike  achievements  of  the  defunct  parties. 

Captain  de  Haldimar  had  followed  the  course  of  these  proceedings  with  a 
beating  heart ;  for  too  plainly  had  he  read  in  the  dark  and  threatening  manner 
both  of  meft  and  women,  that  the  retribution  about  to  be  wreaked  upon  him- 
Belf  would  be  terrible  indeed.  Much  as  he  clung  to  life,  and  bitterly  as  he 
mourned  at  his  early  cutting  off"  from  the  affections  hitherto  identified  with  his 
existence,  his  wretchedness  would  have  been  less,  h?id  he  not  been  overwhelmed 
by  the  oonviction  that,  with  hUtti,  must  perish  every  chance  of  the  safety  of 
those,  the  bare  recollection  of  whom  made  the  bitterness  of  death  even  more 
bitter.  Harrowing  as  wprs  these  reflections,  he  felt  that  hnmediate  destruc- 
tion, since  it  eould  not  be  avoided,  would  be  rather  a  blessing  than  otherwise. 
But  such,  evidently,  was  not  the  purpose  of  his  relentless  Qnemy.  Every 
roeoies  of  torment  whi^h  his  cruel  invention  could  supply  wouM,  he  felt  con- 
vinced, be  exercised  upon  his  firame :  and  with  this  impression  on  his  mind,  it 


H,1 


'"^ 


^m 


I 


I! 


;■} 


;'•■  i 


Mi 


r 


'I 

m 

^.">-:- ;:  .■•:■• 

',    ,4  It.!'"    ' 


•s" 


:,)  /  I 


/      *■ 


4  ' .:  M.i< 
'■»iV'r! 


118 


waoousta;   or,     the   propheot. 


vrotild  have  required  sterner  nerveu  than  his,  not  to  have  shrunk  from  the 
very  anticipation  of  so  dreadful  an  ordeal. 

It  was  now  noon,  and  yet  no  visible  preparation  was  makinj,  for  the  con- 
summation of  the  sacrifice.  This,  Captain  de  Haldimar  imputed  to  the  absence 
of  the  fierce  Wacousta,  whom  he  had  not  seen  since  the  return  of  the  warriors 
from  the  skirmish.  The  momentary  disappearance  of  this  extraordinary  and  fero- 
cious man  was,  however,  fraught  with  no  consolation  to  his  imfortunate  prisq^ 
ner,  who  felt  he  was  only  engaged  in  taking  such  measures  as  would  render 
not  only  his  destruction  more  certain,  but  his  preliminary  sufierings  more  com- 
plicated and  protracted.  While  he  was  thus  indulging  in  fruitless  speculation 
as  to  the  motive  for  his  absence,  he  fancied  he  heard  the  report  of  a  rifle,  suc- 
ceeded immediately  afterwards  by  the  war-whoop,  at  a  considerable  distance, 
and  in  the  direction  of  the  river.  In  this  impression  he  was  confirmed,  by  the 
sudden  upstarting  to  their  foot  of  the  young  Indians  to  whose  custody  he  had 
been  committed,  who  now  advanced  to  the  outer  edge  of  the  belt  of  forest, 
with  the  apparent  object  of  obtaining  a  more  unconfined  view  of  the  open 
,ground  that  l8.y  beyond.  The  rapid  gliding  of  spectral  forms  from  the  interior 
of  the  encampment  in  the  same  direction,  denoted,  moreover,  that  the  Indiana 
generally  had  heard,  and  were  attracted  by  the  same  sound. 

Presently  afterwards,  repeated  "  waughs !"  and  "  Wacousta ! — Wacousta  I" 
from  those  who  had  reached  the  extreme  skirt  of  the  forest,  fell  on  the  dis- 
mayed ear  of  the  young  officer.  It  was  evident,  from  the  peculiar  tones  in 
which  these  words  were  pronounced,  that  they  beheld  that  warrior  approach- 
ing.them  with  some  communication  of  interest;  and,  sick  at  heart,  and  filled 
with  irrepressible  dismay.  Captain  de  Haldimar  felt  his  pulse  to  tnrob  more 
violently  as  each  moment  brought  his  enemy  nearer  to  him. 

A  startling  interest  was  now  created  among  the  Indians ;  for,  as  the  savage 
warrior  nearod  the  forest,  his  lips  pealed  forth  that  peculiar  cry  which  is  meant 
to  announce  Rome  intelligence  of  alarm.  Scarcely  had  its  echoes  died  away  in 
the  forest,  when  the  whole  of  the  warriors  rushed  from  the  encampment  to- 
wards the  clearing.  Directed  by  the  sound,  Captain  de  Haldimar  bent  his 
eyes  upon  the  thin  skirt  of  wood  that  lay  immediately  before  him,  and  at  In- 
tervals could  see  the  towering  form  of  that  vast  warrior  bounding,  with  in- 
credible speed,  up  the  sloping  ground  that  led  from  the  town  towards  th^orest. 
A  ravine  lay  before  him  but  this  he  cleared  with  a  prodigious  effort,  at  a  sin- 
gle leap ;  and  then,  continuing  his  way  up  the  slope,  amid  the  low  guttural  ap» 
clamations  of  the  warriors  at  his  extraordinary  dexterity  and  strength,  finally 
gained  the  side  of  Ponteac,  then  leaning  carelessly  against  a  tree  at  a  short  dis- 
tuncc  from  the  prisoner. 
,  A  low  and  animated  conversation  now  ensued  between  these  two  important 

rsrsonages,  which  at  moments  assumed  the  character  of  violent  discussion, 
rom  what  Captain  de  Haldimar  could  collect,  the  Ottawa  chief  was  severely 
reproving  his  friend  for  the  inconsiderate  ardor  which  had  led  him  that  morn- 
ing into  collision  with  those  whom  it  was  their  object  to  lull  into  security  by, 
a  careful  avoidance  of  hostility,  and  urging  the  possibility  of  their  plan  being 
defeated  in  consequence.  He  moreover  obstmately  refused  the  pressing  request 
of  Wacousta,  in  regard  to  some  present  enterprise  which  the  latter  had  just 
Buggestcd,  the  precise  nature  of  which,  however,  Captain  de  Ilalckmar  could 
not  learn.  Meanwhile,  the  rapid  flitting  of  numerous  forms  to  and  from  the 
encampment,  arrayed  in  all  the  fierce  panoply  of  savage  warfare,  while  low  ex- 
clamations of  excitement  occasionally  caught  his  ear,  led  the  officer  to  infer, 
strange  and  unusual  as  such  an  occurrence  was,  that  either  the  detachment 
already  engaged,  or  a  second,  was  advancing  on  their  position.  Still,  this  offered 
little  chance  of  security  for  himself;  for  more  than  once,  during  his  long  con- 
ference with  Ponteac,  had  the  flerpe  Wacousta  bent  his  eye  in  fcroqious  triumph 
on  his  victim,  as  if  ho  would  have  said, — "  Come  what  will — whatever  bo  the 
result — you,  at  least,  shall  not  escape  me."  Indeed,  so  confident  did  the  latter 
feel  that  the  instant  of  attack  would  bo  the  signal  of  hii  own  death,  that  after 


WAOOVSTA;  or,  TUt    PROPHECY. 


119 


the  first  momentary  and  instinctive  cheering  of  his  spirit,  he  rather  regretted 
.  the  circumstance  of  their  approach ;  or,  if  he  rejoiced  at  all,  it  was  only  because 
it  afforded  him  the  prospect  of  immediate  death,  instead  of  being  exposed  to 
/IbII  the  horror  of  a  lingering  and  agonising  suffering  from  the  torture. 

While  the  chiefs  were  yet  earnestly  conversing,  the  alarm  cry,  previously 
uttered  by  Wacousta,  was  repeated,  although  in  a  low  and  subdued  tone,  by 
sevei'al  of  the  'Indians  who  stood  on  the  brow  of  the  eminence.  Ponteac 
started  suddenly  to  the  same  point ;  but  Wacousta  continued  for  a  moment  or 
two  rooted  to  the  spot  on  which  he  stood,  with  the  air  of  one  in  doubt  as  to 
what  course  he  should  pursue. .  I^q  then  abruptly  raised  his  head,  fixed  his 
dark  and  menacing  eye  on  his  captive,  and  was  already  in  the  act  of  approach- 
ing him,  when  the  earnest  and  repeated  demands  for  his  presence,  by  the  Ot- 
tawa chief,  drew  him  once  more  to  the  outskirt  of  the  wood.  , 

Again  Captain  de  Haldimar  lu'eathed  freely.    The  presence  of  that  fierce 
man  had  been  a  clog  upon  the  vital  functions  of  his  heart ;  ;^nd  to  be  relieved 
from  it,  even  at  a  moment  like  the  present,  when  far  more  important  interests 
might  b«r  supposed  to  occupy  his  mind,  was  a  gratification,  of  which  not  even 
the  consciousness  of  impending  death  could  wholly  deprive  him.    From  the 
continued  pressing  of  the  Indians  towards  one  particular  point  in  the  clearing; 
he  now  conjectured,  that,  from  that  point,  the  advance  of  the  troops  was  visi- 
ble.   Anxious  to  obtain  even  a  momentary  view  of  those  whom  he  deemed 
himself  fated  never  more  to  mingle  with  in  this  life,  he  raised  himself  upon  his 
feet,  and  stretched  his  neck  and  bent  his  eager  glance  in  the  direction  by 
which  Wacousta  had  approached  j   but,  so  closely  were  the  dark  warriors 
grouped  among  the  trees,  he  found  it  impossible.    Once  or  twice,  however,  he 
thought  he  could  distinguish  the  gleaming  of  the  English  bayonets  in  the 
bright  sunshine,  as  they  seemed  to  file  off  in  a  parallel  line  with  the  ravine. 
Oh,  how  his  generous  heart  throbbed  at  that  moment ;  and  how  ardently  did 
he  wish  that  he  could  have  stood  in  the  position  of  the  meanest  soldier  in  those 
gallant  ranks !    Perhaps  his  own  brave  and  devoted  grenadiers  were  of  the 
number,  burning  with  enthusiasm  to  be  led  against  the  captors  or  destroyers 
of  their  officer ;  and  this  thought  added  to  his  wretchedness  still  more. 
•  While  the  unfortunate  prisoner,  thus  strangely  excited,  bent  his  whole  soul 
•n  the  scene  before  him,  he  fanaed  he  heard  the  approach  of  a  cautious  foot- 
step,   lie  turned  his  head  as  well  as  his  confined  position  would  admit,  and 
'  beheld,  close  behind  him,  a  dark  Indian,  whoso  eyes  alone  were  visible  above 
the,  blanket  in  which  his  person  was  completely  enveloped.    His  right  arm 
was  uplifted,  and  the  blade  of  a  scalping  knife  glittered  in  his  hand.    A  cold 
shudder  ran  through  the  veins  of  the  young  officer,  and  he  closed  his  eyes, 
that  he.might  not  see  the  blow  which  he  felt  was  about  to  bo  directed  at  hia 
heart.    The  Indian  glanced  hurriedly  yet  cautiously  around,  to  see  if  he  v/aa 
observed  j  and  then,  with  the  rapidity  of  thought,  divided,  first  the  thongs 
that  secured  the  legs,  and  then  those  which  confined  the  arms  of  the  defence- 
less captive.    When  Captain  de  Haldimar,  full  of  astonishment  at  finding 
himself^  once  more  at  liberty,  again  unclosed  his  eyes,  they  fell  on  the  not  lut" 
handsome  features  of  the  young  chief,  the  brother  of^  Oucanasta. 

*'  The  Saganaw  is  the  prisoner  of  Wacousta,"  said  the  Indian  hastily ;  "  and 
Wacousta.is  the  enemv  of  the  young  Ottawa  chief.  The  warriors  of  the  pale 
faces  are  there^'  (and  no  p<.-!ntcd  directly  before  him).  "  If  the  Saganaw  has 
a  bold  heart  and  a  swift  foot  ho  may  save  his  life }"  and,  with  this  intimation, 
he  hurried  away  in  the  same  cautious  manner,  and  was  in  the  next  instant 
seen  making  a  circuit  to  arrive  at  the  point  at  which  the  principal  strength  of 
the  Indians  was  collected. 

The  position  of  Captain  do  Haldimar  had  now  attained  its  acme  of  interest) 
for  on  his  own  exertions  alone  depended  every  thing  tMt  remained  to  bo  ao* 
complishod.  With  wonderful  presence  of  mind  ho  sunwyed  all  the  difficultioi 
of  his  course,  while  he  availed  himself  at  the  same  moment  of  whatever  advan- 
tages were  within  liia  grasj^.     On  the  approach  of  Wacousta,  the  young 


m 


^^' 


M 

i  f  ■-• 


.  ir, 


II 

•''■'     'I 
'  I 


I, 


Ml 

k 


120 


wacovsta;  or,  the  prophbot. 


M 

ml 


.!W(1- 


Indians,  to  whose  custody  he  had  been  committed,  had  returned  to  their  post  j 
A  but  no  sooner  had  that  warrior,  obeying  the  call  of  Ponteac,  again  departed, 
than  they  once  more  flew  to  the  extreme  skirt  of  the  forest,  after  first  satisfy-  -' 
ing  themselves  the  ligatures  which  confined  their  prisoner  were  secure.  Either 
with  a  view  of  avoiding  unnecessary  encumbrance  in  their  course,  or  through 
hurry  and  inadvertaice,  they  had  left  then*  blankets  near  the  foot  of  the  treek 
The  first  thought  of  the  officer  was  to  seize  o^je  of  these ;  for,  in  order  to  gain 
'  the  point  whence  his  final  efibrt  to  join  the  detachment  must  be  made,  it  was 
necessary  he  should  pass  through  the  body  of  scattered  Indians  who  stood 
immediately  in  his  way ;  and  the  disguise  of  the  blanket  could  alone  ^ITord 
Ijim  a  reasonable  chance  of  moving  unnoticed  among  them.  Secretly  con- 
^atulating  himself  on  the  insulting  mockery  that  had  inducted  his  upper  form 
m  the  disguising  war-paipt  of  his  enemies,  he  now  drew  the  protecting  blanket 
close  up  to  his  eyes  j  and  then,  with  every  nerve  braced  ur>,  every  faculty 
of  mind  and  body  called  into  action,  commenced  his  dangerous  enterprise. 
He  had  not,  however,  taken  more  than  two  or  three  steps  in  advance,  wheu, 
to  his  great  discomfiture  and  alarm,  he  beheld  the  formidable  Wacousta  ap- 
proaching from  a  distance,  evidently  in  search  of  his  prisoner.  With  the 
quickness  of  thought  he  determined  on  his  course.  To  appear,  to  avoid  him 
would  be  to  excite  the  suspicion  of  the  fierce  warrior ;  and  desperate  as  the 
alternative  was,  he  resolved  to  move  undeviatingly  forward.  At  each  step 
that  drew  him  nearer  to  his  enemy,  the  beating  of  his  heart  became  more 
violent ;  and'  had  it  not  been  for  the  thick  coat  of  paint  in  which  he  was 
invested,  the  involuntary  contraction  of  the  muscles  of  his  face  must  inevitably 
have  betrayed  him.  Nay,  even  as  it  was,  had  the  keen  eye  of  the  warrior 
fallen  on  him,  such  was  the  agitation  of  the  officer,  he  felt  he  must  have  hwxk 
discovered.  Happily,  however,  Wacousta,  who  evidently  took  liim  for  some 
inferior  warrior  hastening  to  the  point  where  his  fellows  were  already  assem- 
bled, passed  without  deigning  to  look  at  him,  and  so  close,  their  forms  almost 
touched.  Captain  de  Haldimar  now  quickend  his  pace.  It  was  evident  there 
was  no  time  to  be  lost ;  for  Wacousta,  on  finding  him  gone,  would  at  oo^ 
give  the  alarm,  when  a  hundred  warriors  would  be  ready  on  the  instant  to 
mtercept  his  flight.  Taking  the  precaution  to  disguise  his  walk  by  turning  in 
his  toes  after  the  Indian  manner,  he  reached,  with  a  beating  heart,  the  first 
of  the  numerous  warriors  who  were  collected  within  the  belt  of  forest,  anx- 
iously watching  the  movements  of  the  detachment  in  the  plain  below.  To  hif 
infinite  joy  he  found  that  each  was  too  much  intent  on  what  was  passing  in 

t|    the  distance,  to  heed  any  thing  going  on  near  themselves ;  and  when  he  at 
length  gained  the  extreme  opening,  and  stood  in  a  line  with  those  who  were 
a    the  farthest  advanced,  without  having  excited  a  single  suspicion,  in  his  course, 
he  could  scarcely  believe  the  evidence  of  his  senses. 

.  ,  Still  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  enterprise  remained  to  be  completed. 
Hitherto  he  had  moved  under  the  friendly  cover  of  the  underwood,  the  advan- 
tage of  which  had  been  to  conceal  that  part  of  his  regimental  trousers  which 
the  blanket  left  exposed ;  and  if  he  moved  forward  into  the  clearing,  the  quick 
.glance  of  an  Indian  would  not  be  slow  in  detecting  the  difference  between 
these  and  his  own  ruder  leirj^ings.  There  was  no  alternative  now  but  to  com- 
mence his  flight  from  the  spot  on  which  he  stood ;  and  for  this  he  prepared 
himself.    At  one  rapid  and  comprehensive  view  he  embraced  the  immediate 

" .  localities  before  him.  On  the  other  side  of  the  ravine  ho  could  now  distinctly 
see  the  English  troops,  either  planing,  as  he  conceived,  their  own  attack,  or 
waiting  in  the  hope  of  drawing  the  Indians  from  their  cover.  It  was  eviueni 
that  to  reach  them  the  ravine  must  be  crossed,  unless  the  more  circuitouf  • 
route  by  the  bridge,  which  was  hid  from  his  view  by  an  intervening  hillock, 
should  be  preferred ;  ^t  as  the  former  had  been  cleared  by  Wacousta  in  hie 
esccnt,  and  wan  the  Marest  point  by  which  the  detachment  could  be  ep> 
proachod,  to  this  did  he  now  direct  his  undivided  attention. 
y  While  he  yet  paused  with  indecision,  at  one  moment  fUucying  th«  time  fiMr 


A00V8TA;     OR,    THE    PROPHECY. 


131 


.M. 


/ 


gtarting  was  not  yet  arrived,  and  at  the  next  that  he.  had  suffered  it  to  pass 
away,  the  powerml  and  threatening  voice  of  Wacoustawas  heard  proclaiming 
the  escape  of  his  captive.  Low  but  expressive  exclamations  from  the  warriori 
marked  their  sense  of  the  importance  of  the  intelligence  j  and  many  of  them 
hastily  dispersed  themselves  in  pursuit.  This  was  the  critical  moment  fof 
action  j  for,  as  the  anxious  ofiBcer  had  rather  wished  than  expected,  those  In- 
dians who  had  been  immediately  in  front,  and  whoso  proximity  he  most 
dreaded,  werd  among  the  number  of  those  who  dashed  into  the  heart  of  th6 
forest.  Captain  de  Haldimar  now  stood  alone,  and  full  twenty  paces  in  front 
of  the  nearest  of  the  savages.  For  a  moment  he  played  with  his  mocassined 
foot,  to  satisfy  himsfelf  of  the  power  and  flexibility  of  its  muscles,  and  then 
tommitting  himself  to  his  God,  dashed  the  blanket  suddenly  from  his  shoul- 
ders,  and,  with  eye  and  heart  fixed  on  the  distant  soldiery,  darted  down  the 
declivity  with  a  speed  of  which  he  had  never  yet  believed  himself  capable. 
Scarcely,  however,  had  his  fleeing  form  appeared  in  the  opening,  when  a  tre- 
mendous and  deafening  yell  rent  the  air,  and  a  dozen  wild  and  naked  warriors 
followed  instantly  in  pursuit.  Attracted  by  that  yell,  the  terrible  "Wacousta, 
who  had  been  seeking  his  victim  in  a  different  quarter,  bounded  forward  to 
the  front,  with  an  eye  flashing  fire,  and  a  brow  compressed  into  the  fiercest 
hate ;  and  so  stupibdous  were  his  efforts,  so  extraordinary  was  his  speed, 
that  had  it  not  been  for  the  young  Ottawa  chief,  who  was  one  of  the  pursuing 
party,  and  who,  under  the  pretence  of  assisting  in  the  recapture  of  the  prison- 
er, sought  every  opportunity  of  throwing  himself  before,  and  embarrassing 
the  movements  of  his  enemy,  it  is  highly  probable  the  latter  would  have  suo- 
seeded.  Despite  of  these  obstacles,  however,  the  fierce  Wacousta,  who  bftd 
been  the  last  to  follow,  soon  left  the  foremost  of  nis  companions  far  behind 
him  ;  and  but  for  his  sudden  fall,  while  in  the  very  act  of  seizing  the  arm  of 
his  prisoner,  his  gigantic  efforts  must  have  been  crowned  with  the  fullest  suc- 
cess. But  the  reader  has  already  seen  how  miraculously  Captain  do  Hal^mar, 
reduced  to  the  last  stage  of  debility,  as  much  from  inanition  as  from  tne  un- 
natural efforts  of  his  flight,  finally  accomplished  his  return  to  the  detachment. 


t  I 


,      .  '  CHAPTER  XIX.        . 

At  the  western  extremity  of  the  lake  Huron,  and  almost  washed  by  the  waters 
of  that  pigmy  ocean,  stands  the  fort  of  Michillimackinac.  Constructed  on  a 
Smaller  scale,  and  garrisoned  by  a  less  numerical  force,  the  defences  of  this  post, 
although  less  formidable  than  those  of  the  Detroit,  were  nearly  similar^  at  the 
period  embraced  by  our  story,  both  in  matter  and  in  manner.  Unlike  the 
latter  fortress,  however,  it  boasted  none  of  the  advantages  afforded  by  cul- 
ture ;  neither,  indeed,  was  there  a  single  spot  in  the  immediate  vicinity  that 
was  not  clad  m  the  eternal  forest  of  these  regions.  It  is  true,  that  art  and 
laborious  exertion  had  so  far  supplied  the  deficiencies  of  nature  as  to  isolate 
the  fort,  and  throw  it  under  the  protecting  swc^p  of  its  cannon;  but,  while 
this  afforded  security,  it  fUled  to  produce  any  thing  like  a  pleasing  effect  to 
the  eye.  The  very  site  on  which  the  fortress  now  stood  had  at  one  period 
been  a  portion  of  the  wilderness  that  every  where  around  was  only  termina- 
ted by  the  sands  on  the  lake  shore :  and,  although  time  and  the  axe  of  the 
pioneer  had  in  some  degree  changed  its  features,  still  there  was  no  trace  of 
that  blended  natural  scenery  that  so  pleasingly  diversified  the  vicinity  of  the 
Bister  fort.  Here  and  there,  along  the  imperfect  clearing,  and  amid  the  dark 
and  thickly  studded  stumps  of  the  ffelled  trees,  which  in  themselves  wore  suf- 
ficient to  give  tho  most  lugubrious  character  to  the  scene,  rose  the  rude  log 
cabin  of  the  settlor ;  but,  beyond  this,  (Cultivation  appeared  to  have  lost  her 
power  in  proportion  with  the  difficulties  she  haa  to  encounter.    Even  the  two 


M. 


H^-- 


■|V*f 


fci 


\    ■ 


ail 
I'  I 


I"    i: 


W 

m 
11 


•  M 


fll 


^' 


r  11 

I'. 


h\ 


'^ 


122 


wacovsta;  OR,  the  prophecy. 


,:;  -i  *i 


p  'i-m 


Indian  villages,  L'Arbre-Croche  and  Chaboiiiga,  situate  about  a  mile  from  the 
fort,  with  which  they  formed  nearly  an  e(j[uilateral  triangle,  were  hid  from 
the  view  of  the  garrison  by  the  dark  dense  forest,  in  the  heart  of  which  they 
were  embedded.       > 

Lakeward  the  view  was  scarcely  less  monotonous ;  but  it  was  not,  as  in  the 
rear,  that  monotony  which  is  never  occasionally  broken  in  upon  by  some  oc- 
currence of  interest.  If  the  eye  gazed  long  and  anxiously  for  the  Avhite  sail 
of  the  well  known  armed  vessel,  charged  at  stated  intervals  with  letters  and 
tidings  of  those  whom  time,  and  distance,  and  danger,  far  from  estranging 
rendered,  more  dea%,to  the  memory,  and  bound  more  closely  to  the  heart,  it 
was  sure  of  being  rewarded  at  last ;  and  then  there  was  no  picture  on  which 
it  could  lov(;  to  linger  so  well  as  that  of  the  silver  waves  bearing  that  valued 
vessel  in  safety  to  its  wonted  anchorage  in  the  ofBng.  Moreover,  the  light 
Bwift  bark  canoes  of  the  natives  often  danced  joyously  on  its  surface  j  and 
while  the  sight  was  oftendcdr  at  the  savage,  skulking  among  the  trees  of  the 
forest,  like  some  dark  spirit  moving  cautiously  in  its  course  of  secret  destruc- 
tion, and  watching  the  moment  when  he  might  pounce  unnoticed  upon  his 
unprepared  victim,  it  followed,  with  momentary  pleasure  and  excitement,  the 
activity  and  skill  displaj'cd  by  the  harmless  paddler,  in  the  swift  and  meteor^ 
like  race  that  set  the  troubled  surface  of  the  Huron  in  a  siftet  of  hissing  foam. 
Nor  was  this  all.  When  the  eye  turned  wood-ward,  it  fell,  heavily,  and  with- 
out interest,  upon  a  dim  and  dusky  pvyint,  known  to  enter  upon  savage  scenes 
and  unexplored  countries ;  whereas,  whenever  it  reposed  upon  the  lake,  it  was 
with  an  eagerness  and  energy  that  embraced  the  most  vivid  recollections  of 
(ho  past,  and  led  the  imagination  buoysntly  over  every  well-remembered  scene 
•that  ha4  previously  been  traversed,  and  which  must  be  traversed  again  before 
the  land  of  the  European  could  be  pressed  once  more.  The  forest,  in  a  word, 
formed,  as  it  were,  the  gloomy  and  impenetrable  walls  of  the  prison-house, 
and  the  briglit  lake  that  lay  before  it  the  only  portal  through  which  happiness 
and  liberty  could  be  again  secured. 

The  principal  entrance  into  the  fort,  which  presented  four  e<}ual  sides  of  a 
square,  was  from  the  forest ;  but  immediately  opposite  to  this,  and  behind  the 
apartments  of  the  commanding  ofBcer,  there  was  another  small  gate  that 
opened  upon  the  lakff  shore ;  but  which,  since  the  investment  of  the  place, ' 
had  been  kept  bolted  and  locked,  with  a  precaution  befitting  the  danger  to 
which  the  garrison  was  exposed.  Still,  there  were  periods,  even  now,  when  its 
BuUcn  hinges  were  to  be  heard  moaning  on  the  midnight  breeze ;  for  it  served 
OS  a  medium  of  communication  between  the  besieged  and  others  who  were  no 
less  critically  circumstanced  than  themselves. 

The  very  day  before  the  Indians  commenced  their  simultaneous  attack  on 
the  several  posts  of  the  English,  the  only  armed  vessel  that  had  been  con- 
structed on  these  upper  lakes,  serving  chiefly  as  a  medium  of  communication 
between  Detroit  and  Michillimackinac,  had  arrived  with  despatches  and  letters , 
from  the  former  fort.  A  well-concerted  plan  of  the  savages  to  seize  her  in 
her  passage  through  the  narrow  waters  of  the  river  Sinclair  had  only  been 
defeated  by  the  vigilance  «f  her  commander ;  but  ever  since  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war,  she  had  been  imprisoned  within  the  Umits  of  the  Uuron.  Labori- . 
ous  indeed  was  the  duty  of  the  devoted  crew.  Several  attempts  had  been 
renewed  by  the  Indians  to  surprise  them ;  but,  although  their  little  fleets 
stole  cautiously  and  noiselessly,  at  the  still  hour  of  midnight,  to  the  spot 
where,  at  the  la^t  expiring  rays  of  twilight,  they  had  beheld  tier  carelessly 
anchored,  and  apparently  lulled  into  security,  the  subject  of  their  search  wss 
ncicr  to  DO  met  with.  "No  sooner  were  objects  on  the  shore  rendered  indis- 
tinct to  the  eye,  than  the  anchor  was  silently  weighed,  and,  gliding  wherever 
the  breeze  might  choose  to  carry  her,  the  light  bark  was  made  to  traverse  the 
lake,  with  every  sail  set,  until  dawn.  None,  haweverj  were  suffered  to  slum- 
ber in  the  presumed  security  aflbrded  by  this  judicious  flight.  Every  man 
was  at  his  post ;  and,  while  a  silence  so  profound  was  preserved  that  tht 


MM 


WAC04USTA;     ORf    THE     PROFHEOT. 


1S3 


noise  of  a  falling  pin  might  have  been  heard  upon  her  decks,  everything  was 
in  readiness  to  repel  an  attack  of  their  enemies,  should  the  vessel,  in  h« 
course,  come  accidentally  in  collision  with  their  pigmy  fleets.  When  morning 
broke,  and  no  sign  of  their  treacherous  foes  was  visible,  the  vessel  was  again 
anchored,  and  the  majority  of  the  crew  suffered  to  retire  to  their  hammocks, 
while  the  few  whose  turn  of  duty  it  chanced  to  be,  kept  a  vigilant  look-put. 
that,  on  the  slightest  appearance  of  alarm,  their  slumbering  comrades  might 
again  be  aroused  to  energy  and  action. 

Seirere  and  harassing  as  had  been  the  duty  on  board  this  vessel  for  many 
months, — at  one  moment  exposed  to  the  assaults  of  savages,  at  another  as- 
sailed by  hurricanes  that  arc  so  prevalent  and  so  dangerous  on  th%American 
lakes, — the  situation  of  the  crew  was  even  less  enviable  than  that  of  the  gar- 
rison itself.  What  chiefly  contributed  to  their  disquietude,  was  the  dreadM 
consciousness  that,  however  their  present  efforts  might  secure  a  -temporary 
safety,  the  period  of  their  fall  was  only  protracted.  A  few  months  more 
must  bring  with  them  all  the  severity  of  the  winter  of  those  climes,  and  then, 
blocked  up  in  a  sea  of  ice,— exposed  to  all  the  rigor  of  cold, — all  the  miseries 
of  hunger, — what  effectual  resistance  could  they  oppose  to  the  numerous 
bands  of  Indians  who.  availing  themselves  of  the  defenceless  position  of  their 
enemies,  would  rush  from  every  quarter  to  their  destruction. 

At  the  outset  of  these  disheartening  circumstances,  the  officer  had  sum- 
inoned  his  faithful  crew  together,  and  pointing  out  the  danger  and  uncertainty 
of  their  position,  stated  that  two  chances  of  escape  still  remained  to  them. 
The  first  was  by  an  attempt  to  accomplish  the  passage  of  the  river  Sinclair; 
during  some  dark  and  boisterous  night,  when  the  Indians  would  be  least 
likely  to  suspect  such  an  intention :  it  was  at  this  point  that  the  efforts  of 
their  enemies  were  principally  to  be  apprehended ;  but  if,  under  cover  of 
storm  and  darkness,  they  could  accomplish  this  difficult  passage,  they  would 
easily  gain  the  Detroit,  and  thence  pass  into  Lake  Erie,  at  the  further  ex- 
tremity of  which  they  might,  favored  by  Providence,  effect  a  landing,  and 
penetrate  to  thQ  inhabited  parts  of  the  colony  of  New  York.  The  other  al- 
ternative was, — and  he  left  it  to  themsdves  to  determine, — t-*  sink  the  vessel 
on  the  approach  of  winter,  ahd  throw  themselves  into  the  fort  before  them, 
there  to  await  and  share  the  destiny  of  its  gallant  defenders. 

With  tl  -i  generous  enthusiasm  of  their  profession,  the  noble  fellows  had 
determined  on  the  latter  course.  With  their  officer  they  fully  coincided  in 
opinion,  that  their  ultimate  hopes  of  life  depended  on  the  safe  passage  of  the 
Smclair ;  for  it  was  but.too  obvious,  that  soon  or  late,  unless  some  very  ex- 
traordinary revolution  shoidd  be  effected  in  the  intentions  of  the  Indians,  the 
fortress  must  bo  starved  into  submission.  Still,  as  it  was  tolerably  well  sup- 
plied with  provisions,  this  gloomy  prospect  was  remote,  and  they  were  willing 
to  run  all  cnances  with  their  friends  on  shore,  rather  than  desert  them  in  thcir 
extremity.  The  determination  expressed  by  them,  therefore,  was  that  when 
they  could  no  longer  keep  the  lake  in  safety,  they  would,  if  the  officer  per- 
mitted it,  scuttle  the  vessel,  and  attempt  an  entrance  into  the  fort,  where  tney 
would  share  the  fate  of  the  troops,  whatever  it  might  chance  to  be. 

No  sooner  was  this  resolution  made  known,  than  thcir  young  commander 
sought  an  opportunity  of  communicating  with  the  garrison.  This,  howevw, 
was  no  very  easy  task ;  for.  so  closely  was  the  fort  hemmed  in  by  the  savages, 
it  was  impossible  to  introauce  a  messenger  within  its  walls ;  and  so  sudden 
had  been  the  cutting  off  of  all  communication  between  the  vessel  and  the 
shore,  that  the  thought  had  not  even  occurred  to  either  commander  to  estab- 
lish tno  most  ordinary  intelligence  by  signal.  In  this  dilemma,  recourse  was 
had  to  an  ingenious  expedient.  The  despatches  of  the  officer  were  enclosed 
in  one  of  the  long  tin  tubes  in  which  were  generally  deposited  the  maps  and 
charts  of  the  schooner,  and  to  this,  after  haviUf?  been  carcjfully  soldered,  was 
attadied  an  iich  rope  of  several  hundred  fathoms  in  length :  tlic  case  was 
then  put  into  one  of  the  sb'p's  guns,  so  placed  is  to  give  it  the  elevation  of  ft 


+: 


■m 


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A-   : 
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;,Ul 


Vil 


I 


i 

m 


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wacov>sta;or,   the    prophbct. 


t',4^ 


U. 


H^ 


I  '-V  * 


m 


t-F 


m\'. 


monar ;  thus  prepared,  advantage  was  taken  of  a  temporary  absence  of  tfift 
Indians  to  bring  the  vessel  within  half  a  mile  6f  the  shore,  and  when  the  at- 
tention of  the  garrison,  naturally  attracted  by  this  unusual  movement,  was 
sufficiently  awakened,  that  opportunity  was  chosen  for  the  discharge  of  the 
gun ;  and  as  the  quantity  of  powder  had  been  proportionably  reduced  for  the 
umited  range,  the  tube  was  soon  safely  deposited  within  the  rampart.  The 
same  means  were  adopted  in  replying ;  and  one  end  of  the  rope  remaining 
attached  to  the  schooner,  all  that  was  necessary  was  to  solder  up  the  tube  as 
before,  and  throw  it  over  the  ramparts  upon  the  sands,  whence  it  was  imme- 
aiately  pulled  over  her  side  by  the  watchful  mariners. 

Ai  the  despatch  conveyed  to  the  garrison,  among  other  subjects  of  interest^ 
bore  the  unwelcome  intelligence  that  the  supplies  of  the  crew  were  nearly  e»" 
pended,  an  arrangement  was  proposed  by  which,  at  stated  intervals,  a  more 
immediate  communication  with  the  former  might  be  effected.  Whenever, 
therefore,  the  wind  permitted,  the  vessel  was  kept  hovering  in  sight  during  the 
day,  beneath  the  eyes  of  the  savages^  and  on  the  approach  of  evening  an  un- 
shotted  gun  was  discharged,  with  a  view  of  drawing  their  attention  more  im- 
mediately to  her  movements ;  every  sail  was  then  set,  and  under  a  cloud  of 
canvass  the  course  of  the  schooner  was  directed  towards  the  source  of  the  Sin- 
clair, as  if  an  attempt  to  accomplish  that  passage  was  to  be  made  during  the 
night.  No  sooner,  however  had  the  darkness  fairly  set  in,  than  the  vessel  was 
put  about,  and,  beating  against  the  wind,  generally  contrived  to  reach  the  of^ 
mg  at  a  stated  hour,  when  a  boat,  provided  with  muffled  oars,  was  sent  off  to 
the  shore.  This  ruse  had  several  times  deceived  the  Indians,  and  it  was  on 
these  occasions  that  the  small  gate  to  which  we  have  alluded  was  opened,  for 
the  purpose  of  conveying  the  necessary  supplies. 

.The  buildings  of  the  fort  consisted  chiefly  of  block-houses,  the  internal  ac- 
commodations of  which  were  fully  in  keeping  with  their  rude  exterior,  being 
but  indifferently  provided  with  the  most  ordmary  articles  of  comfort,  and  fit- 
ted up  as  the  limited  resources  of  that  wild  and  remote  district  could  supply. 
The  best  and  most  agreeably  situated  of  these,  if  a  choice  could  be  made,  was 
that  of  the  commanding  officer.  This  building  rose  considerably  above  the 
others,  and  overhanging  that  part  of  the  rampart  which  Skirted  the  shores  of. 
the  Huron,  commanded  a  full  view  of  the  lake,'  even  to  its  extremity  of  frown- 
ing and  belting  forest. 

To  this  block-house  there  were  two  staircases ;  the  principal  leading  to  the 
front  entrance  from  the  barrack-square,  the  other  opening  in  the  rear,  doae 
under  the  rampart,  and  communicating  by  a  few.  rude  steps- with  the  small 

Kte  ihat  led  upon  the  sands.  In  the  lower  part  of  this  building,  appropriated 
'  the  commanding  officer  to  that  exclusive  purpose,  the  official  duties  of  his 
ntoation  were  usually  performed ;  and  on  the  grouna-fioor  a  large  room,  that 
extended  from  front  to  rear  of  the  block-house  on  one  side  of  the  passage,  had 
formerly  been  used  as  a  hall  of  council  with  the  Indian  chiefs.  The  floor  above 
this  comprised  both  his  own  private  apartments  and  those  set  apart  for  the 
general  use  of  the  family ;  but,  above  all,  and  preferable  from  their  cheerAd 
view  over  the  lake^  were  others,  which  had  been  reserved  for  the  exclusive  ac- 
commodation of  Miss  de  Haldimar.  The  upp»'  ax  r  consisted  of  two  sleeiring 
apartments,  with  a  sitting-room,  the  latter  extending  the  whole  length  of  the 
block-house,  and  opening  immediately  upon  the  lake  from  the  only  two  win- 
dows with  which  that  side  of  thp  building  was  provided.  The  principal  staii^ 
-  case  led  into  one  of  the  bed-rooms,  and  both  of  the  latter  communicated  imm»> 
diately  with  the  sitting  room^  which  again,  in  its  turn,  opened,  at  the  Opposite 
extremity  on  the  narrow  staircase  that  lea  to  the  rear  oi  the  block-house. 

The  furniture  of  the  apartment,  which  might  be  taken  as  a  fair  sample  of 
the  best  the  country  could  afford,  was  wild,  yet  simple,  in  the  extreme.  Neat 
rush  mats,  of  an  oblong  square,  and  fantastically  put  together,  so  as  to  exhibit 
fai  the  weaving  of  the  several  colored  reeds  both  figures  that  Vere  known  to 
exist  in  the  creation,  and  those  which  could  have  no  being  save  in  the  imag^ 


waoovsta;   0  1,  the    prophecy. 


125 


nation  of  their  franRrs,  served  aa  excellent  substitutes  for  carpets,  whUo  rush 
bottomed  chairs,  the  product  of  Indian  ingenuity  also,  occupied  those  intervala 
ftround  thd  room  that  were  unsupplied  by  the  matting.  Upon  the  walls  were 
hung  numerous  specimens  both  of  the  dress  and  of  the  equipments  of  the 
savageSj  and  mingled  with  these  were  many  natural  curiosities,  the  gifts  of  In- 
dian chiefs  to  the  commandant  at  various  times  before  the  war. 

Nothing  could  be  more  unlike  the  embellishments  of  a  modern  European 
boudoir  than  those  of  this  apartment,  which  had,  in  some  degree,  been  made  the 
sanctum  of  its  present  occupants.  Here  was  to  be  seen  the  scaly  carcase  of 
some  huge  serpent,  extending  its  now  harmless  length  from  the  ceiling  to  the 
floor — there  an  alligator,  sti^ed  after  the  same  fashion ;  and  in  various  direc- 
tions the  skins  of  the  beaver,  the  marten,  the  otter,  and  an  infinitude  of  others 
of  that  genus,  filled  up  spaces  that  were  left  unsupplied  by  the  more  ingenious 
specimens  of  Indian  art.  Head  dresses  tastefully  wrought  in  the  shape  of  the 
crowning  bays  of  the  ancients,  and  composed  of  the  gorgeous  feathers  of  the 
most  splendid  of  the  forest  birds — ^bows  and  quivers,  handsomely  and  even 
elegantly  ornamented  with  that  most  tasteful  of  Indian  decorations,  the  stained 
quill  of  the  porcupine ;  war  clubs  of  massive  iron  wood,  their  handles  covered 
with  stained  horse-hair  and  feathers,  curiously  mingled  together — machccotis, 
hunting  coats,  mocassins,  and  leggings,  all  worked  in  porcupine  quill,  and  fan- 
cifulfy  arranged, — these,  with  many  others,' had  been  called  into  requisition  to 
bedeck  and  relieve  the  otherwise  rude  and  naked  walls  of  the  apartment. 

Nor  did  the  walls  alone  reflect  back  the  picture  of  savage  ingenuity,  for  on 
the  various  tables,  the  rude  polish  of  which  was  hid  from  view  by  the  simple . 
covering  of  green  baize,  which  moreover  constituted  the  garniture  of  the  winr 
dowSj'were  to  be  seen  other  products  of  their  art.  Here  stood  upon  an  elo- 
yated  stan^  a  model  of  a  bark  canoe,  filled  with  its  complement  of  paddlera 
carved  in  wood  and  dressed  in  full  costume;  the  latter  executed  with  such 
singular  fidelity  of  featiu«,  that  although  the  speaking  figures  sprung  not  from 
the  experienced  and  classic  chisel  of  the  sculptor,  but  from  the  rude  scalping 
knife  of  the  savage,  the  very  tribe  to  which  they  belonged  could  be  discovered 
at  a  glance  by  the  European  who  was  conversant  with  the  features  of  each : 
then  there  were  handsomely  ornamented  vessels  made  of  the  birch  bark,  and 
filled  with  the  delicate  sugars  which  the  natives  extract  from  the  maple  tree 
in  early  spring ;  these  of  all  sizes,  even  to  the  most  tiny  that  could,  well  be 
imagined,  were  valuable  rather  as  exquisite  specimens  of  the  neatness  with 
which  those  slight  vessels  coidd  be  put  together,  sewn  as  they  were  merely 
with  strips  of  the  same  bark,  than  from  any  intrinsic  value  they  possessed 
Covered  over  with  fantastic  figures,  done  either  in  paint,  or  in  quill  work  art- 
fully interwoven  into  the  fibres  of  the  bark,  they  presented,  in  their  smooth 
and  polished  siu-face,  strong  evidence  of  tihe  address  of  the  savages  in  their  pre- 
paration of  this  most  useful  and  abundant  produce  of  the  country.  Inter- 
spersed with  these,  too,  were  niunerous  stands  filled  with  stuffed  birds,  some 
of  which  combined  in  themselves  every  variety  and  shade  of  dazzling  plumage ; 
and  numerous  rude  cases  contained  the  rarest  specimens  of  the  American  but- 
terfly, most  of  which  were  of  sizes  and  tints  that  are  no  where  equalled  in 
Europe.  One  solitary  table  alone  was  appropriated  to  whatever  wore  a  trans- 
atlantic character  in  this  wild  and  museum-like  apartment.  On  this  lay  a 
Spanish  guitar,  a  few  pieces  of  old  music,  a  collection  of  English  and  French 
books,  a  couple  of  writing  desks,  and  scattered  over  the  whole,  several  articles 
of  unfinished  needle-work. 

Such  was  the  apartment  in  which  Madeline  and  Clara  do  Haldimar  were 
met  at  the  moment  we  have  selected  for  their  ir.troduction  to  our  readers.  It 
was  the  morning  of  that  day  on  which  the  second  council  of  tlie  chiefs,  the 
result  of  which  has  already  been  st?",  was  held  at  Detroit.  The  sun  had 
risen  bright  and  gorgeously  abovo^  the  adjacent  forest,  throwing  his  golden 
beams  upon  the  calm  glassy  waters  of  the  lake ;  and  now,  approaching  ra- 
pidly towards  the  meridian,  gradually  diminished  the  tall  bold  shadows  of 


B 


If; 


n 


JM 

HBo 

wSi 

R|| 

9ji 

f^T'f    ^ 

&i 

m 

-W^ 

^%f\ 

Wb 

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1^9 

S^vX^ 

m 

pi!|t 

1^ 

^M 

,|j 

m 

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IB 

llffl 

inl 

nH 

Hn 

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^w^ 

-■*■•' 

Si 

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IIP 

■« 

"fts.ll'i 

M-2 

«SI 

126 


n     • 


waoousta;    or,   the   frofheot. 


the  block-houses  upon  the  shore.  At  the  distance  of  about  a  mile  lay  the 
armed  vessel  so  often  alluded  to  j  her  light  low  hull  dimly  seen  in  the  hazy 
atmosphere  that  danced  upon  the  waters,  and  her  attenuated  masts  and  slop- 
ing  yards,  with  their  slight  tracery  cordage,  recalling  rather  tLe  complex  and 
delicate  ramifications  of  the  spider's  web,  than  the  elastic  yet  solid  machinery 
to  which  the  lives  of  those  within  had  so  often  been  cotnmitted  in  sea  and 
tempest.  Upon  the  strand,  and  close  opposite  to  the  small  gate  which  now 
stood  ajar,  lay  one  of  her  boats,  the  crew  of  which  had  abandoned  her  with 
the  exception  only  of  a  single  individual,  apparently  her  cockswain,  who,  with 
the  tiller  under  his  arm,  lay  half  extended  in  the  stem  sheets,  his  naked  chest  ' 
exposed,  and  his  tarpaulin  hat  shielding  his  eyes  from  the  sun  while  he  indulg- 
ed in  profound  repose.  These  were'  the  only  objects  that  told  of  human  liie. 
Every  where  bej'ond  the  eye  rested  on  the  faint  outline  of  forest,  that  appear- 
ed like  the  softened  tracing  of  a  pencil  at  the  distant  jtmction  of  the  waters 
with  the  horizon. 

The  windows  that  commanded  this  prospect  were  now  open ;  and  through 
that  which  was  nearest  to  the  gate,  half  reclined  the  elf  mt,  slight  form  of  a 
female,  who,  with  an  open  letter  in  her  hand,  glanced  her  eye  alternately,  and 
with  an  expression  of  joyousness,  towards  the  vessel  that  lay  beyond  and  the 
point  in  which  the  source  of  the  Sinclair  was  known  to  lie.  It  was  Clara  do 
Haldimar. 

Presently  the  vacant  space  at  the  same  window  was  filled  by  another  form, 
but  of  less  girlish  appearance — one  that  embraced  all  the  full  rich  contour  oi 
the  Medicean  Venus,  and  a  lazy  languor  in  its  movements  that  harmonised  with 
the  speaking  outlines  of  the  form,  and  without  which  the  beauty  of  the  whole 
would  have  been  at  variance  and  imperfect.  The  general  expression  more- 
over, of  a  countenance  which,  closely  analysed,  could  not  not  be  termed  beau- 
ful.  marked  a  mind  at  once  ardent  m  its  conceptions,  and  steady  and  resolute 
in  its  silent  accomplishments  of  purpose.    She  was  of  the  middle  height. 

Such  was  the  person  of  IMadeline  de  Haldimar ;  but  attractive,  or  rather 
winning,  as  were  her  womanly  attributes,  her  principal  power  lay  in  her  voice, 
— ^the  beautjf,  nay  voluptuousness  of  which  nothing  could  surpass.  It  was 
impossible  to  listen  to  the  slow,  full,  rich,  deep,  and  melodious  tones  that  fell 
trembling  from  her  lips  upon  the  ear,  and  not  feel,  aye  shudder,  under  all 
their  fascination  on  the  soul.  In  such  a  voice  might  the  Madonna  of  Raphael 
have  been  supposed  to  ofier  up  her  supplications  irom  the  gloomy  precincts  of 
the  cloister.  No  wonder  that  Frederick  de  Haldimar  loved  her,  and  loved 
her  with  all  the  intense  devotedness  of  his  own  glowing  heart.  His  cousin 
was  to  him  a  divinity  whom  he  worshipped  in  the  innermost  recesses  of  his 
being ;  and  his,  in  return,  was  the  only  eai*  in  which  the  accents  of  that  al- 
most superhuman  voice  had  breathed  the  thrilling  confession  of  ah  attach- 
ment^ which  its  very  tones  annoimced  would  bo  deep  and  imperishable  p,s  the 
soul  m  which  it  had  taken  root.  Often  in  the  hours  that.preceded  the  period 
when  they  were  to  have  been  united,  heart  and  mind  and  thought,  m  one 
common  destiny,  would  he  start  from  her  side,  his  brain  whirling  with  very 
intoxication,  and  then  obeying  another  wild  impulse,  rush  once  more  into  bar 
embrace ; '  and  clasping  his  beloved  Madeline  to  his  heart,  entreat  her  again  to 
pour  forth  all  the  melody  of  that  confession  in  his  enraptured  ear.  Artless 
and  unaffected  as  she  was  generous  and  impassioned,  the  fond  and  noble  girl 
never  hesitated  to  gratify  him  whoni  alone  she  loved  j  and  deep  and  fervent 
was  the  joy  of  the  soldier,  when  he  found  that  each  passionate  entreaty,  far 
from  being  met  with  caprice,  only  drew  from  the  lips  of  his  cousin  warraar 
and  mOre  affectionate  expressions  of  her  attachment.  Such  expressions,  com- 
ing from  any  woman,  must  have  been  rapturous  and  soothing  in  the  extreme : 
but,  when  they  flowed  from  a  voice  whoso  very  sound  was  melody,  they  acted 
on  the  heart  of  Captain  do  Haldimar  with  a  potency  that  was  as  irresistible 
as  the  love  itself  which  she  inspired. 

Such  wai  the  position  of  things  just^bcfore  the  commencement  of  t^e  In* 


Tr. 


waoousta;  or,  the  prophecy. 


lii 


dian  war.  Madeline  de  Haldimar  had  been  for  some  time  on  a  visit  to  De- 
troit, and  her  marriage  with  her  cousin  was  to  have  taken  place  within  a  few 
days.  The  unexpected  arrival  of  intelligence  from  Michillimackinac  that  her 
father  was  dangerously  ill,  ho\  ^r.  retarded  the  ceremony ;  and,  up  to  the 
present  period,  their  intercourse  nadybeen  completely  suspended.  If  Made- 
une  de  Haldimar  was  capable  of  strong  attachment  to  her  lover,  the  power- 
ful ties  of  natiu-e  were  no  less  deeply  rooted  in  her  heart,  and  commiseration 
and  anxiety  for  her  father  now  engrossed  every  faculty  of  her  mind.  She 
entreated  her  cousin  to  defer  the  solemnisation  of  their  nuptials  until  her 
parent  should  be  pronounced  out  of  danger,  and,  having  obtained  his  consent 
to  delay,  instantly  set  off  for  Michillimackinac,  accompanied  by  her  cousin 
Clara,  whom  she,  had  prevailed  on  the  governor  to  part  with  until  her  own 
return.  Hostilities  were  commenced  very  shortly  afterwards,  and,  although 
Major  de  Haldimar  speedily  recovered  from  his  illness,  the  fair  cousins  were 
compelled  to  share  the  common  imprisonment  of  the  garrison. 

When  Miss  de  Haldimar  joined  her  more  youthful  cousin  at  the  window, 
through  which  the  latter  was  gazing  thoughtfully  on  the  scene  before  her,  she 
flung  her  arm  around  her  waist  with  the  protecting  manner  of  a  mother. 
The  mild  blue  eyes  of  Clara  met  those  that  were  fastened  in  tenderness  upon 
her,  and  a  corresponding  movement  on  her  part  brought  the  more  matronly 
form  of  her  Cousin  into  close  and  affectionate  contact  with  her  own. 

"  Oh,  Madeline,  what  a  day  is  this !"  she  exclaimed ;  "  and  how  often  on 
my  bended  knees  have  I  prayed  to  heaven  that  it  might  arrive !  Our  trials 
axe  ended  at  last,  and  happiness  and  joy  are  once  more  before  us.  There  is 
the  boat  that  is  to  conduct  us  to  the  vessel,  which,  in  its  turn,  is  to  bear  mo 
to  the  arms  of  my  dear  father,  and  you  to  those  ^f  the  lover  who  adores  you. 
How  beautiful  does  that  fabric  appear  to  me  now !  Never  did  I  feel  half  the 
pleasure  in  surveying  it  I  do  at  this  moment." 

"  Dear,  dear  girl !"  exclaimed  Miss  de  Haldimar,  and  she  pressed  h^r  closer 
and  in  silence  to  her  heart ;  then,  after  a  slight  pause,  during  which  the  mant- 
ling glow  upon  her  brow  told  how  deeply  she  desired  the  reunion  alluded  to 
by  her  cousin — "  that,  indeed,  will  be  an  hour  of  happiness  to  us  both,  Clara ; 
foi"  irrevocably  as  our  affections  have  been  pledged,  it  would  be  silly  in  the 
extreme  to  deny  that.  I  long  most  ardently  to  be  restored  to  him  who  is 
already  my  husband.  But,  tell  me,"  she  concluded,  with  an  archness  of  ex- 
pression that  caused  the  long-lashed  eyes  of  her  companion  to  sink  beneath 
ner  own,  "  are  you  quite  sincere  in  your  own  case  ?  I  know  how  deeply  you 
love  your  father  and  your  brothers,  but  do  these  alone  occupy  your  attention  ? 
Is  there  not  a  certain  friend  of  Charles  whom  you  have  some  little  curiosity 
to  see  also  ?" 

"  How  silly,  Madeline !"  and  the  cheek  of  the  young  girl  bcrarao  suffused 
with  a  deeper  glow ;  "  you  know  I  have  never  seen  this  friend  of  my  brother, 
how  then  can  1  possibly  feel  more  than  the  most  ordinary  interest  in  him  ? 
I  am  disposed  to  hke  him,  certainly,  for  the  mere  reason  that  Charles  does ; 
but  this  is  all." 

"  Well,  Clara,  I  will  not  pretend  to  decide  j  but  certain  it  is,  this  is  the  last 
letter  you  recoived  from  Chai-les,  and  that  it  contains  the  strongest  recommen- 
dations of  his  friend  to  your  notice.  Equally  certain  is  it,  that  scarcely  a 
day  has  passed,  since  we  have  been  shut  up  hero,  that  you  have  not  perused 
and  re-perused  it  half  a  dozen  times.  Now,  as  I  am  confessedly  one  who 
should  know  something  of  these  matters,  I  must  be  suffered  to  pronounce 
these  are  strong  symptoms,  to  say  the  very  least.  Ah !  Olara,  that  Llush  de- 
,clares  you  guilty.     But  who  have  we  here?    Middleton  and  Baynton." 

The  eyes  of  the  cousins  now  fell  upon  the  ramparts  immediately  under  tho 
window.  Two  officers,  one  apparently  on  duty  for  the  day,  were  passing  at 
the  moment ;  and,  as  tliey  heard  their  names  pronounced,  stopped,  looked  up, 
and  saluted  the  )'Oung  ladies  with  that  easy  freedom  of  manner,  which,  un- 
mixed with  either  disrespect  or  effrontery,  so  usually  characterises  tho  address 
of  military  men.  . 


■V..V- 


■^T  F-'  i-'i 


.  (■ 


m\ 


f| 


» hj. 


138 


wacovsta;    or,  the   prophsot. 


H  '    m 


IT' 


"  What  a  contrast,  'by  heaven  P  exclaimed  he  who  wore  the  badge  of  duty 
suspended  over  his  chesty  throwing  himself  plajMly  into  a  theatrical  attitude,, 
expressive  at  once  of  admiration  and  surprise,  while  his  eye  glanced  intelli- 
gently over  the  fair  but  dissimilar  forms  of  the  cousins.  "  Venus  and  Psyche 
m  the  land  of  the  Pottowatamies,  by  all  that  is  magnificent !  Come,  Middle- 
ton,  quick,  out  with  that  eternal  pencil  of  yours,  and  perform  your  promise.'* 

"  And  whatmay  that  promise  be  ?"  asked  Clara,  laughingly,  and  without 
adverting  to  the  hyperbolical  compliment  of  the  dark-eyed  officer  who  had 
just  spoken. 

"  You  shall  hear,"  pursued  the  lively  captain  of  the  guard.  "  While  mak- 
ing the  tour  of  the  ramparts  just  sow,  to  visit  my  sentries,  I  saw  Middleton 
leaning  most  sentimentally  against  one  of  the  boxes  in  front,  his  note  book  in 
one  hand  and  his  pencil  in  the  other.  Curious  to  discover  the  subject  of  his 
abstraction,  I  stole  cautiously  behind  him,  and  saw  that  he  was  sketching  the 
head  of  a  tall  and  rather  handsome  squaw,  who,  in  the  'midst  of  a  hundred 
others,  was  standing  close  to  the  gateway  watching  the  preparations  of  the 
Indian  ball  players.  I  at  once  taxed  him  with  having  lost  his  heart ;  and 
rallying  him  on  his  bad  taste  in  devoting  his  pencil  to  any  thing  that  had 
a  red  skin^  never  combed  its  hair,  and  turned  its  toes  in  while  walking,  pro- 
nounced his  sketch  to  be  an  absolute  fright.  Well,  will  you  believe  what  I 
have  to  add  7  The  man  absolutely  flew  into  %  tremendous  passion  with  me, 
and  swore  that  she  was  a  Venus,  a  Juno,  a  Minerva,  a  beauty  of  the  first 
water  in  short ;  and  finished  by  promising,  that  when  I  could  point  out  any 
woman  who  was  superior  to  her  in  persobal  attractions,  he  would  on  the  in- 
stant write  no  less  than  a  dozen  consecutive  sonnets  in  her  praise.  I  now  call 
upon  him  to  fulfil  his  promise,  or  maintain  the  superiority  of  his  Indian 
beauty." 

Before  the  laughing  Middleton  could  find  time  to  reply  to  the  light  and 
unmeaning  rattle  of  his  friend,  'he  quick  low  roll  of  a  drum  was  heard  from 
the  front.  The  signal  was  undt^i  stood  by  both  officers,  and  they  prepared  to 
depart. 

"  This  is  the  hour  appointed  for  the  council,"  said  Captain  Baynton,  look- 
ing at  his  watch,  "  and  I  must  be  with  my  guard,  to  receive  the  chiefs  with 
becoming  honor.  How  I  pity  you,  Middleton,  who  will  have  the  infliction  of 
one  of  their  great  big  talks,  as  Murphy  would  call  it,  dinned  into  your  ear 
for  the  next  two  hours  at  least !  Thank  heaven,,  my  tour  of  duty  exempts 
me  from  that ;  and  by  way  of  killing  an  hour,  I  think  I  shall  go'  and  cany 
^  on  a  flirtation  with  your  Indian  Minerva^  alias  Venus,  alias  Juno,  while  you 
are  discussing  the  affairs  of  the  nation  with  closed  doors.  But  hark !  there 
is  the  assembly  drum  again.  We  must  be  off.  Come,  Middleton,  come. 
Adieu  I"  waving  his  hand  to  the  cousins,  "  we  shall  meet  at  dinner." 

"  What  an  incessant  talker  Baynton  is !"  observed  Miss  de  Haldimar,  as 
the  young  men  now  disa^eared  round  an  angle  of  the  rampart ;  "  but  he 
has  reminded  me  of  what  1  had  nearly  forgotten,  and  that  is  to  give  orders 
for  dinner.  My  father  has  invited  all  the  officers  to  dine  with  him  to-day,  in 
commemoration  of  tho  peace  which  is  being  concluded.  It  will  be  the  first 
^me  we  shall  have  all  met  together  since  the  commencement  of  this  cruel 
war,  and  we  must  endeavor,  Clara,  to  do  honor  to  the  feast." 

"  I  hope,"  timidly  observed  her  cousin,  shuddering  as  she  spoke,  "that  noQe 
of  those  horrid  chiefs  will  be  present,  Madeline ;  for,  without  any  affectation 
of  fear  whatever,  I  feel  that  I  could  not  so  far  overcome  my  disgust  as  to  sit 
at  the  same  table  with  them.  There  was  a  time,  it  is  true,  when  I  thought 
nothing  of  these  tilings ;  but,  since  the  war  I  have  witnessed  and  heard  so 
much  of  their  horrid  deeds,  that  I  shall  never  be  able  to  endure  the  sight  of 
an  Indian  fkce  again.  Ah !"  she  concluded,  turning  her  eyes  upon  the  lake, 
while  she  clung  more  closely  to  the  embrace  of  her  companion;  "  would  to 


heaven,  Madeline,  that  we  were  both  at  this  moihent  gliding  in  yonder 
and  in  sight  of  my  father's  fort !" 


'\ 


(    > 


TW 


as 
he 

era 
in 

St 

lel 


WA00178T       ;     OR,         HE     PROPHEC^. 


120 


K'i   ''■  i     :'J--T  IJS>?   ^:'^    - 


CHAPTER  X\TI. 


f 


The  eyes  of  ^liss  de  Haldimar  followed  those  of  her  cousin,  and  rested  on 
the  dwW-  hull  of  the  schooner,  with  which  so  many  recollections  of  the  past- 
and  anticipations  of  the  future  vrere  associated  in  their  minds.  When  they 
had  last  looked  upon  it,  all  appearance  of  human  life  had  vanished  from  its 
decks ;  but  now  there  was  strong  evidence  of  unusual  bustle  and  activity. 
Numerous  persons  could  be  seen  moving  hastily  to  and  fro,  their  heads  just 
peering  above  the  bulwarks ;  and  presently  they  beheld  a  small  boat  move 
from  the  ship's  side,  and  §hoot  rapidly  ahead,  in  a  direct  line  with  the  well- 
known  bearings  of  the  Sinclair's  course.  While  they  continued  .to  gaze  on 
this  point,  following  the  course  of  the  light  vessel,  and  forming  a  variety  of 
conjectures  as  to  the  cause  of  a  movement,  especially  remarkable  from  the  ^ 
circumstance  of  the  commander  being  at  that  moment  in  the  fort,  whither  he 
had  been  summoned  to  attend  the  council,  another  and  scarcely  perceptible 
object  was  dimly  seen,  at  the  distance  oif  about  half  a  mile  in  front  of  the 
"  boat.  With  the  aid  of  a  telescope,  which  had  formed  one  of  the  principal  re- 
sources of  the  cousins  during  their  long  imprisonment.  Miss  de  Haldimar  nOw 
perceived  a  dark  and  shapeless  mass  moving  somewhat  heavily  along  the  lake, 
and  i:a  a  line  with  the  schooner  and  the  boat.  This  was  evidently  approach- 
ing ;  for  each  moment  it  loomed  larger  upon  the  hazy  water,  increasing  in 
btiik  in  the  same  proportion  that  the  departing  skiff  became  less  distinct : 
Btill,  it  was  impossible  to  discover,  at  that  distance,  in  what  manner  it  was 
propelled.  Wind  there  was  none,  not  as  much  aa  would  have  changed  the 
course  of  a  feather  dropping  through  space ;  and,  except  where  the  dividing 
oars  of  the  boatmen  had  agitated  the  waters,  the  whole  surface  of  the  lake 
was  like  a  sea  of  pale  and  Uquid  gold. 

At  length  the  two  dark  bodies  met,  and  the  men  in  the  boat  were  seen  to 
lie  upon  their  oars,  while  one  in  the  stern  seemed  to  be  in  the  act  of  attaching 
a  rope  to  the  fonriless  matter.    For  a  few  moments  there  was  a  cessation  of 
all  movement ;  and  then  again  the  active  and  sturdy  rowing- of  the  boatmen 
was  renewed,  and  with  an  exertion  of  sttrength  even  more  vigorous  than  that 
they  had  previously  exhibited.    Their  course  was  now  directed  towards  the 
vessel :  and  as  it  gradually  neared  that  fabric,  the  rope  by  which  the  strange . 
looking  object  was  secured,  could  be  distinctly  though  faintly  seen  with  the 
telescope.    It  was  impossible  to  say  whether  the  latter,  whatever  it  might  l^ 
was  urged  by  some  invisible  means,  or  merely  floated' in  the  wake  of  the 
boat ;  for,  although  the  waters  through  which  it  passed  ran  rippling  and 
foaming  from  their  cou^e,  this  effect  might  have  been  produced  by  the  boat 
which  preceded  it.    As  it  now  approached  the  vessel,  it  presented  the  appear- 
ance of  a  dense  wood  of  evergreens,  the  overhanging  branches  of  which  de- 
scended close  to  the  water's  edge,  and  baffled  every  attempt  of  the  cousms  to 
discover  its  true  character.    The  boat  had  now  ari'ived  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  the  schooner,  when  a  man  was  seen  to  rise  from  lis  bows,  and  put- 
ting both  his  hands  to  his  mouth,  afler  the  manner  of  sailors  in  hailing,  to 
continue  in  that  position  for  some  moments,  apparently  conversing  with  those 
who"  were  grouped  along  the  nearest  gangway.    Then  were  observed  rapid 
movements  on  the  decks;  and  men  were  seen  hastening  aloft^  and  standing 
out  upon  the  foremost  yards.    This,  however,  had  offered  no  mterruption  to 
the  exertions  of  the  boatmen,  who  still  kept  plying  With  a  vigor  that  set  even 
tht  sailless  vessel  in  motion,  as  the  foaming  water,  thrown  from  their  bending 
oar-blades,  dashed  angrily  against  her  prow.    Soon  afterwards,  both  the  boM 
and  her  prize  disappeared  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  schooner,  which  now 
lying  with  her  broadside  immediately  on  a  line  with  the  shore,  completely 
md  them  from  the  further  view  of  the  cousins. 
'  Look ! — Look !"  said  Clara,  clingi  ig  sensitively  and  with  alarm  to  the  al- 


>!' 


;^ht. 


11 


m 


^ 


3>  " 

k 

1 

S^ 

Vra 

W: 

'ii 

IS'' 

m 

130 


wacovsta;  or,  the  prophbot. 


IM:'' 


111  J  I 


most  materr.al  bosom  against  which  she  reposed,  while  sho  pointed  with  her 
finger  to  another  dark  mass  that  w^s  moving  through  the  lake  in  a  circolar 
sweep  from  the  point  of  wood  termiijating  the  clearing  on  the  right  of  the 
fort 

Miss  de  Haldimar  threw  tlje  glass  on  the  object  to  which  her  attention  was 
^  now  directed.  It  was  evidently  some  furred  animal,  and  presented  all  the  ap- 
pearance either  of  a  large  water-rat  or  a  beaver,  tno  latter  of  which  it  was 
pronounced  to  be  as  a  nearer  ilpproach  rendered  its  shape  more  distinct. 
Ever  and  anon,  too,  it  disappeared  altogether  under  the  water  j  and  when  it 
again  came  in  sight,  it  was  always  several  yards  nearer.  Its  ouurse,  at  first 
circuitous,  at  length  took  a  direct  lino  with  the  stem  of  the  boat,  where  the 
sailoiA  who  was  in  charge  still  lay  extended  at  his  drowsy  length,  his  tarpaulio 
.  hat  shading  his  eyes,  and  his  arms  folded  over  his  uncovered  chest,  while  he 
continued  to  sleep  as  profoundly  as  if  he  had  been  comfortably  berthed  in  his 
hammock  in  the  middle  of  the  Atlantic. 

"  What  a  large  bold  animal  it  is,"  remarked  Clara,  in  the  tone  of  one  who 
wishes  to  be  confirmed  in  an  impression  but  indiflTerently  entertaised.  "  See 
how  close  it  approaches  the  boat !  •  Had  that  lazy  sailor  but  his  wits  abcnt 
him,  he  might  easily  knock  it  on  the  head  with  his  oar.  It  is — it  is  a  beaver, 
Madeline ;  I  can  distinguish  its  head  even  with  the  naked  eye." 

"  Heaven  grant  it  may  be  a  beaver,"  answered  Miss  de  H!aldimar,  in  a  voice 
EO  deep  and  full  of  meaning,  that  it  made  her  cousin  start  and  turn  paler 
even  than  before.  "  Nay,  Clara,  dearest,  command  yourself,  nor  give  way  to 
what  may,  after  all,  prove  a  groundless  cause  of  alarm.  Yet  I  know  not  now 
it  is,  my  heart  misgives  me  sadly ;  for  I  like  not  the  motions  of  this  mimal, 
which  are  strangely  and  unusually  bold.  But  this  is  not  all :  a  beaver  or  a 
rat  might  ruflfle  the  mere  surface  of  the  water,  yet  this  leaves  behind  it  a  deep 
and  gurgling  furrow,  as  if  the  element  had  been  ploughed  to  its  very  bottom. 
Observe  how  the  lake  is  agita(ted  and  discolored  wherever  it  has  passed. 
Moreover,  I  dislike  this  sudden  bustle  on  board  the  schooner,  knowing,  as  I 
do,  there  is  not  an  oflBcer  present  to  order  the  movements  now  visibly  going 
forward.  The  men  are  evidently  getting  up  the  anchor  j  and  see  how  her 
sails  are  loosened,  apparently  courting  the  breeze,  as  if  she  would  fly  to  avoid 
some  threatened  danger.  "Would  toJbieaven  this  council  scene  were  over  j  for 
I  do,  as  much  as  yourself,  dearest  Clara,  distrust  these  cruel  Indians."  ; 

A  significant  gesture  from  her  trembling  cousin  again  drew  her  attention 
from  the  vessel  to  the  boat.  The  animal,  which  now  exhibited  the  delicate 
and  glossy  fur  of  the  beaver,  had  gained  the  stem,  and  remained  stationai'y 
within  a  foot  of  her  .quarter.  Presently  the  sailor  made  a  sluggish  move- 
ment, turning  himself  heavily  on  his  side,  and  with  his  face  towards  his  curi- 
ous and  daring  visitant.  In  the  act  the  tarpaulin  had  fallen  from  his  eyes, 
but  still  he  awoke  not.  Scarcely  had  he  settled  himself  in  his  new  position, 
when,  to  the  infinite  horror  of  the  excited  cousins,  a  naked  human  hand  was 
raised  from  beneath  the  surface  of  the  lake,  and  placed  upon  the  gunwale  of 
the  boat.  Then  rose  slowly,  and  still  covered  with  its  ingenious  disguise,  first 
the  neck,  then  the, shoulders,  and  finally  the  form,  even  to  the  midwaist,  of  a 
dart  and  swarthy  Indian,  who,  stooping  low  and  cautiously  over  the  sailor, 
now  reposed  the  hand  thatt  had  quitted  the  gunwale  upon  his  form,  while  the 
other  was  thmst  searchingly  into  the  belt  encircling  ms  waist. 

Miss  de  Haldimar  would  have  called  .out,  to  apprise  the  unhappy  man  of- 
his  danger ;  but  her  voice  refused  its  oflBce,  and  her  cousin  was  even  less  capa- 
ble of  exertion  than  herself.  The  deep  throbbings  of  their  hearts  were  now 
audible  to  each ;  for  the  dreadful  interest  they  took  in  the  scene,  had  excited 
their  feelings  to  the  most  intense  stretch  of  agony.  At  the  very  moment, 
however,  when,  with  almost  suspended  animation,  they  expected  to  see  the 
knife  of  the  savage  driven  into  the  chest  of  the  sleeping  and  'unsuspecting 
sailor,  the  latter  suddenly  started  up,  and  instinct  with  the  full  sense  of  the 
danger  by  which  he  was  menaG«<1,  in  less  time  ihan  we  take  to  describe  it, 


WAOdVSTA;  OR,  THB  PROPHECY. 


131 


feizcd  the  tiller  of  his  rudder,  the  only  available  instniment  within  his  reach, 
and  directing  a  powerful  blow  at  the  head  of  his  amphibious  enemy,  laid  him, 
without  apparent  life  or  motion,  across  tlie  boat. 

"  Almighty  God  !  what  can  this  mean  ?"  exclaimed  Miss  de  Haldimar,  as 
soon  as  she  could  recover  her  presence  of  mind.  "  There  is  some  fearful 
treachery  in  adtation ;  and  a  cloud  now  hangs  over  all  that  will  soon  burst 
with  irresistible  fury  on  our  devoted  heads.  Clara,  my  love,"  and  she  con- 
ducted the  almost  fainting  girl  to  a  seat,  "  wait  here  until  I  return.  The  mo- 
ment is  critical,  and  my  father  must  be  apprised  of  what  we  have  seen.  Un- 
less the  gates  of  the  fort  are  instantly  closed,  we  are  lost." 

"  Oh,  Madeline,  leave  me  not  alone,"  entreated  the  sinking  Clara.  "  We 
will  go  together.    Perhaps  I  may  be  of  service  to  you  below." 

"  The  thought  is  good ;  but  have  you  strength  and  courage  to  face  the 
dark  chiefs  in  the  council-room.  If  so,  hasten  there,  and  put  my  father  on 
his  guard,  while  I  fly  across  the  parade,  and  warn  Captain  Baynton  of  the 
danger." 

With  these  words  she  drew  the  arm  of  her  agitated  cousin  "within  her  own, 
and,  rapidly  traversing,  the  apartment,  gained  the  bed-room  which  opened 
close  upon  the  head  of  the  principal  staircase.  Already  were  they  descending 
the  first  steps,  when  a  loud  cry,  that  sent  a  thrill  of  terror  through  their 
blood,  was  heard  from  without  the  fort.  For  a  moment  Miss  de  Haldimar 
continued  irresolute ;  and  leaning  against  the  rude  balustrade  for  support, 

Sassed  her  hand  rapidly  across  her  brow,  as  if  to  collect  her  scattered  energies, 
'he  necessity  for  prompt  and  immediate  action  was,  however,  evident ;  and 
ehe  alone  was  capable  of  exertion.  Speechless  with  alarm,  and  tnembling  in 
every  joint,  the  unhappy  Clara  had  now  lost  all  command  of  her  limbs ;  and, 
clinging  close  to  the  side  of  her  cousin,  by  her  wild  looks  alone  betrayed 
consciousness  had  not  wholly  deserted  her.  The  energy  of  despair  lent  more 
Jian  woman's  strength'to  Miss  de  Haldimar.  She  caught  the  fainting  girb  in 
her  arms,  retraced  her  way  to  the  chamber,  arid  depositing  her  burden  on  the 
bed,  emphatically  enjoined  her  on  n<»k  account  to  move  until  her  return.  She 
then  quitted  the  room,  and  rapidly  descendled  the  staircase. 

For  some  moments  all  was  still  and  hushed  as  the  waveless  air ;  and  then 
again  a  loud  chorus  of  shouts  was  heard  from  the  ramparts  of  the  fort.  The 
choked  breathing  of  the  yoimg  girl  became  more  free,  and  the  bipod  rushed 
once  more  from  her  oppressed  heart  to  the  extremities.  Never  did  tones  of 
the  human  voice  fall  more  gratefully  on  the  ear  of  mariner  cast  on  some  desert 
island,  than  did  those  on  that  of  the  highly  excited  Clara^  It  was  the  loud 
laugh  of  the  soldiery,  who,  collected  along  the  line  of  rampart  jn  front,  were 
watching  the  progress,  of  the  ball-players.  Cheered  by  the*  welcome  sounds, 
she  raised  herself  from  the  bed  to  satisfy  her  eye  her  car  had  not  deccivca 
her.  The  windows  of  both  bed-chambers  looked  immediately  on  the  barrack 
square,  and  commanded  a  full  view  of  the  principal  entrance.  From  that  at 
"wmich  she  now  stood,  the  revived  but  still  anxious  girl  could  distinctly  see  all 
that  was  passing  in  front.  The  ramparts  were  covered  with  soldiers,  who, 
armed  merely  with  their  bayonets,  stood  grouped  in  careless  attitudes^ — some 
with  then*  wives  leaning  on  their  arms — others  with  then*  children  upraised, 
that  ttey  might  the  better  observe  th(^  enlivening  sports  without — some  lay 
indolently  with  their  legs  overhanging  the  works — others,  assuming  pugihstic 
attitudes,  dealt  their  harmless  blows  at  each  other, — and  all  w  ere  blended 
together,  men,  women,  and  children,  with  that  heedlessness  of.  thought  that 
told  how  little  of  distrust  existed  within  their  breasts,  -^he  soldiers  of  the 
guard,  too,  exhibited  the  same  air  of  calm  and  unsuspecting  corffidence ;  some 
walking  to  and  fro  within  the  square,  while  the  greater  portion  either  mixed 
with  their  comrades  above,  or,  with  arms  folded,  legs  carelessly  crossed,  and 
pipe  in  month,  leant  lazily  against  the  gate,  and  gazed,  beyond  the  lowered 
drowbridge  on  the  Indian  ganves. 
A  mountain  weight  seemed  to  have  been  removed  from  the  breast  of  Olara 


\ 


V  1    .' 

[ 


■^i 


Vii. 


ill 


:--:!l 


iji'l 


'  ^t 


rl 


1 


v.- 


:{'l 


132 


WACOUSTA;     or.    TKE    FROPaIBOT. 


H 


at  this  sight,  as  she  now  dropped  upon  her  knees  before  the  window,  and 
raised  her  hands  in  pious  acknowledgment  to  heaven. 

■"  Almighty  God,  I  thank  thee,"  she  fervently  exclaimed,  her  eye  once  more 
lighting  up,  and  her  cheek  half  suflFused  with  blushes  at  her  late  vague  anf 
idle  fears ;  while  she  smbraced,  at  a  single  glance,  the  whole  of  the  gladdening 
and  inspiring  scene. 

While  her  soul  was  yet  upturned  whither  her  words  had  gone  before,  her 
ears  were  again  assailed  by  sounds  that  curdled  her  blood,  and  made  her 
spring  to  her  feet  as  if  stricken  by  a  bullet  through  the  heart,  or  powerfully 
touched  by  some  electric  fluid.  ^  It  was  the  well-known  and  devilish  war-cry 
of  the  savages,  startling  the  very  air  through  which  it  passed,  and  falling  like 
a  deadly  blight  upon  the  spirit.  With  a  mechanical  and  desperate  effort  at 
courage,  the  unhappy  girl  turned  her  eyes  below,  and  there  met  images  of 
death  in  their  most  appalling  shapes.  Hurry  and  confusion  and  despair  were 
every  where  visible ;  for  a  band  of  Indians  were  already  in  the  fort,  and  these. 
fast  succeeded  by  others,  rushed  like  a  torrent  into  the  square,  and  commenced 
their  dreadful  work  of  butchery.  Many  of  the  terrified  soldiers,  without 
thinking  of  drawing  their  bayonets,  flew  down  the  ramparts  in  order  to  gain 
their  respective  block-houses  for  their  muskets :  but  these  every  where  met 
death  from  the  crashing  tomahawk,  short  rifle,  or  gleaming  knife ; — others 
who  had  presence  of  mind  suflBcient  to  avail  themselves  of  their  only  weapons 
of  defence,  rushed  down  in  the  fury  of  desperation  on  the  yelling  fiends,  re- 
solved to  sell  their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible ;  and  for  some  minutes  an  obsti* 
nate  contest  was  maintained :  but  the  vast  superiority  of  the  Indian  numbeitf 
triumphed ;  and  although  the  men  fought  with  all  the  fierceness  of  despair, 
forcing  their  way  to  the  block-houses,  their  mangled  corses  strewed  the  area 
in  every  direction.  Neither  was  the  horrid  butchery  confined  to  these. 
Women  clinging  to  their  husbands  for  protection,  and,  in  the  recklessness  of 
thoir  despair,  impeding  the  efforts  of  the  latter  in  their  self-defence — children 
screaming. in  terror,  or  supplicating  mercy  on  their  bended  knees — infants 
clasped  to  their  parents'  breasts,  all  alike  sunk  under  the  unpitying  steel  of 
thi  blood-thirsty-savages.  At  the.  guard-house  the  principal  stand  had  been  ' 
made ;  for  at  the  first  rush  into  the  fort,  the  men  on  duty  had  gained  their 
station,  and,  having  made  fast  the  barricades,  opened  their  fire  upon  the 
enemy.  Mixed  pele-mele  as  they  were  with  the  Indians,  many  of  the  English 
were  shot  by  their  own  comrades,  who,  in  the  confusion  of  the  moment,  were 
incapable  of  taking  a  cool  and  discriminating  aim.  These,  however,  were 
finally  overcome.  A  band  of  desperate  Indians  rushed  upon  the  main  door, 
and  with  repeated  blows  from  their  tomahawks  and  massive  war-clubs,  suc- 
ceeded in  demolishing  it,  while  others  diverted  the  fire  of  those  within.  The 
door  once  forced,  the  struggle  was  soon  over.  Every  man  of  tKe  guard  per- 
ished, and  their  scalpless  and  disfigured  forms  were  thrown  out  to  swell  the 
number  of  those  that  already  deluged  the  square  with  their  blood. 

Even  amid  all  the  horrors  of  this  terrific  scene,  the  agonised  Clara  preserved 
her  consciousness.  The  very  imminence  of  the  danger  endued  her  with  strcn^h 
to  embrace  it  imder  all  its  most  disheartening  aspects ;  and  she,  whose  mmd 
had  been  wrought  up  to  the  highest  pitch  of  powerful  excitement  by  the  mere 
preliminary  threatenings,  was  comparatively  collected  under  the  catastrophe 
itself.  Death,  certain  death,  to  all.  she  saw  was  inevitable;  and  while  her  per- 
ception at  once  embraced  the  futility  of  all  attempts  at  escape  from  the  general 
doom,  she  snatched  from  despair  the  power  to  Mow  its  gloomy  details  with- 
out being  annihilated  under  their  weight. 

The  confusion  of  the  garrison  had  now  reached  its  acme  of  horror.  The 
shrieks  of  women  and  the  shrill  cries  of  children,  as  they  severally  and  fVuit- 
lessly  fled  from  the  death  certain  to  overtake  them  in  the  end, — the  cursinM 
of  (ho  soldier; ,  the  yollings  of  the  Indians,  the  reports  of  rifles,  and  the  crash* 
isgs  of  tomr  awks ; — these,  with  the  stamping  of  human  feet  in  the  death , 
ctrugglo  mair  tained  in  the  council-room  below  l^twoen  the  chiefs  and  the  offl>  \ 


¥'■ 


wacousta;    oRf   the    prophecy. 


133    ' 


acrd 
>phe 
per^ 
leral 
rith- 

The 
ruit- 

pash- 

leath 

offl* 


cerSj  and  which  shook  the  block-house  to  its  very  foundation,  all  mixed  up  in 
terrible  chorus  together,  might  have  called  up  a  not  inapt  image  of  hell  to  the 
bewildered  and  confounding  brain.  And  yet  the  sun  shone  in  yellow  lustre, 
and  all  nature  smited,  and  wore  an  air  of  calm,  as  if  the  accursed  deed  had  haa 
J;he  sanction  of  heaven,  and  the  spirits  of  light  loved  to  look  upon  the  frightful 
atrocities  then  in  perpetration. 

In  the  first  distraction  of  her  spirit,  Clara  had  utterly  lost  all  recollection  of 
her  cousin ;  but  now  that  she  had  with  unnatural  despei'ation,  brought  her 
mind  to  bear  upon  the  fiercest  points  of  the  grim  realty,  she  turned  her  eye 
everywhere  amid  the  scene  of  death  in  search  of  the  form  of  her  beloved  Made- 
line, whom  she  did  not  remember  to  have  seen  cross  the  parade  in  pursuance 
of  tne  purpose  she  had  named.  While  she  yet  gazed  fearfully  from  the  win- 
dows, loud  bursts  of  niingled  anguish  and  rage,  that  were  almost  drowned  in 
the  fiercer  yells  with  wWch  they  were  blended,  ascended  from  the  ground-floor 
of  the  block-house.  These  had  hitherto  been  suppressed,  as  if  the  desperate 
attack  of  the  chiefs  on  the  officers  had  been  made  with  closed  doors.  Now, 
however,  there  was  an  evident  outburst  of  all  parties  into  the  passage ;  and 
there  the  struggle  appeared  to  be  desperately  and  fearfully  maintained.  In 
the  midst  of  that  chaotic  scene,  the  loud  and  piercing  shriek  of  a  female  rose 
far  above  the  discordant  yell  even  of  the  savages.    There  was  aix  instant  of 


pause. 


and  then  the  crashing  of  a  skull  was  heard,  and  the  confusion  was 


greater  than  before ;  shrieks,  and  groans,  and  curses,  and  supplications  rent 
the  air. 

The  first  Single  shriek  came  from  Madeline  de  Ilaldimal*.  and  vibrated 
through  every  chord  of  the  heart  on  which  it  sank.  Scarcely  conscious  of 
what  she  did,  Cfara,  quitting  the  window,  once  more  gained  the  top  of  the 
staircase,  ana  at  the  extremity  of  her  voice  called  on  the  name  of  her  cousin  in 
the  most  piteous  accents.  She  was  answered  by  a  loud  shout  from  the  yelling 
band ;  and  presently  bounding  feet^nd  screaming  voices  were  heard  ascending  the 
itairs.  The  terrified  girl  fancied  at  the  moment  she  heard  a  door  open  on  the 
floor  immediately  below  her.  and  some  one  dart  suddenly  un  the  flight  commu' 
nicating  with  the  spot  on  which  she  stood.  Without  waiting  to  satisfy  herself, 
she  rushed  with  all  the  mechanical  instinct  of  self-preservation  back  into  her 
own  apartment.  As  she  passed  the  bed-room  window,  she  glanced  once  more 
hastily  into  the  area  below,  and  there  beheld  a  sight  that,  filling  her  soul  with 
despair,  paralysed  all  further  exertion.  A  tall  savage  was  bearing  oft'  the  ap- 
parently lif«tess  form  of  her  cousin  through  the  combatants  in  the  square,  her 
white  dress  stained  all  over  with  blood,  and  her  beautiful  hair  loosened  and 
trailing  on  the  ground.  She  followed  with  her  burning  oj^es  until  they  passed 
the  drawbrigo,  and  finally  disappeared  behind  the  intervening  rampart,  and 
then  bowing  her  head  between  her  hands,  and  sinking  upon  her  knees,  she 
reposed  her  forehead  against  tlie  sill  of  the  window,  and  awaited  unsluinkint;ly, 
yet  in  a  state  of  inconceivable  agony,  the  consummation  of  her  own  unhappy 
destiny. 

Tho<.sound8  of  ascending  foet  were  now  heard  in  the  passage  without;  and 

firesently,  while  the  clangor  of  a  thousand  demons  seemed  to  ring  throughout 
he  upper  part  of  the  building,  a  man  rtished  furiously  into  the  room.  The 
blood  of  the  young  girl  curdled  in  her  veins.  She  mccharioally  grasped  the 
ledge  of  the  window  on  which  her  acliing  head  still  reposed,  and  with  her  eyes 
firmly  closed,  to  shut  out  from  view  the  fiend  whose  sight  she  dreaded,  eveu 
more  than  1»ho  death  which  threatened  her,  quietly  awaited  the  blow  that  was 
to  terminate  at  once  her  misery  and  her  life.  Scarcely,  however,  had  the  feet 
of  the  intruder  pressed  the  sanctuary  of  her  betiohamber,  when  the  heavv  door, 
strongly  studded  with  nails,  was  pushed  rapidly  to,  and  bolt  and  lock  were 
heard  sliding  into  their  several  sockets.  Before  Clara  could  raise  her  head  to 
discover  the  cause  of  tins  movement,  she  felt  herself  firmly  secured  in  thi 
.Krasp  of  an  encircling  arm,  and  borne  hastily  through  the  room.  An  instino- 
five  senso  of  something  worse  even  than  death  now  flashed  across  the  mind  of 


■■„■■■(' 


■■1.1! 


Jl. 


¥ 


i'.  Hi 


a 


I 


134 


wacousta:  or,  the  prophecy. 


n    !• 


fi 


liie  unhappy  girl ;  and  whUo  she  feared  to  unclose  her  eyes,  she  struggled  vio» 
Fently  to  disengage  herself. 

"  Clara !  dear  Miss  de  Haldijnar,  do  you  not  know  me  ?"  exclainied  her  suj^ 
jorterj  whije  placing  her  for  a  moment  on  a  seat,  he  proceeded  to  secure  tho 
fastenings  of  the  second  door,  that  led  from  the  bedchamber  into  the  largei; 
Apartment. 

Re-assured  by  the  tones  of  a  voice  which,  even  in  that  dreadful  moment  of 
-rial  and  destruction,  W9re  familiar  to  her  ear,  the  trembling  girl  opened  her 
eyes  wildly  upon  her  protector.  A  slight  scream  of  terror  marked  her  painful 
sense  of  recognition.  It  was  Captain  Baynton  whom  she  beheld :  but  how  un- 
hke  the  officer  who  a  few  minutes  before  ^lad  been  conversing  with  her  from 
the  ramparts.  His  fine  hair,  matted  with  blood,  now  hung  loosely  and  dis- 
figuringly  over  his  eyes,  and  liia  pallid  face  and  brow  were  covered  with  gore 
spots,  the  evident  spatterings  from  the  wounds  of  othirs ;  while  a  stream  that 
issued  from  one  side  of  his  head  attested  he  himself  had  not  escaped  unhurt  in 
the  cruel  melee.  A  skirt  and  a  lappcl  had  been  torn  from  his  uniform,  which, 
together  with  other  portions  of  his  dress,  were  now  stained  in  various  parts 
by  the  Wood  continually  flowing  from  his  wound. 

"  Oh,  Captain  Baynton,"  murmured  the  fainting  girl^  her  whole  soul  sinking 
within  her,  as  she  gazed  shuddeHngly  on  his  person,  "is  there  no  hope  for  us? 
must  we  die  1" 

"  No,  by  heaven,  not  wnile  1  have  strength  to  save  you,"  returned  the  offi- 
cer, with  energy.  ''  If  the  savage  have  not  penetrated  to  the  rear,  we  may  yet 
escape.  I  saw  the  postern  open  just  now,  on  my  passage  round  the  rampart, 
and  the  boat^of  the  schooner  upon  the  strand.  Ha !"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  flew 
to  the  window,  and  cast  his  eye  rapidly  below,  "  we  are  lost  I  The  gate  is  still 
clear,  and  not  an  Indian  to  be  seen ;  but  the  coward  sailor  is  pulling  for  hia 
life  towards  the  vessel.  But  hold !  another  boat  is  now  quitting  the  ship's 
side.  See,  how  manfully  they  give  themselves  to  the  oars ;  in  a  few  minutes 
they  will  be  here.  Come,  Clara,  let  us  fly !"  and  again  ho  caught  her  up  in 
his  arms,  and  bore  her  across  the  room.  "  Hark,  hear  yoti  not  the  exulting 
yellings  of  the  monsters  ?  They  are  forcing  the  outer  door :  mark  how  thej 
redouble  their  efforts  to  break  it  open !  That  passed,  but  one  more  barrier 
remains  between  us  and  inevitable  and  instant  aeath." 

"And  my  cousin,  my  uncle  I"  shrieked  tho  unhappy  gii-l,  as  the  officer  now 
bore  her  rapidly  down  the  back  staircase. 

"  Oh,  ask  me  not  I"  exclaimed  Baynton :  "  were  I  to  linger  ag^n  on  all  I 
have  witnessed,  I  should  go  mad.    All  all  have  perished !  but,  hark  1" 

A  tremendous  yelU  now  bursting  from  the  passage,  announced  at  once  the 
triumph  of  the  savages  in  having  effected  an  entrance  into  the  bed-room,  and 
their  disappointment  at  finding  their  pursuit  baulked  by  a  second  door.  Pre- 
sently afterwards  their  heavy  weapons  were  to'  be  heard  thundering  at  this 
now  obstacle,  in  tho  most  furious  manner.  This  gave  new  stimulus  to  the  exr 
crtions  of  the  generous  officer.  Each  winding  of  the  staircase  was  familiar  to 
hiin,  and  lie  now  descended  it  with  a  rapidity  which,  considering  tho  burden 
that  reposed  against  his  chest,  could  only  have  been  inspired  by  his  despair. 
The  flight  terminated  at  a  door  that  Med  directly  upon  the  rampart,  without 
communicating  with  any  of  tho  passage^  of  tho  building :  and  in  this  consist- 
•d  the  principal  facility  of  escape :  for.  in  order  to  reach  them,  tho  savages 
must  either  make  tl^e  circuit  of  tho  block-house,  or  overtake  them  in  the 
course  they  were  now  following.  In  this  trying  emergency,  tho  presence  of 
mind  of  tho  young  officer,  wounded  and  blcoding  as  he  was,  did  not  desert  him. 
On  quitting  the  largtir  apartment  above,  ho  had  secured  the  outside  fastenings 
of  a  small  door  at  tho  top  of  the  stairs,  and  having  now  gained  the  bottom, 
be  took  a  similar  precaution.  All  that  remained  was  to  uncloso  tho  bolts  ol 
the  ponderous  door  that  opened  upon  their  final  chance  of  .escape :  this  was 
gpocaily  done,  but  here  the  feelings  ol^  tho  officer  were  put  to  a  severe  test.  A^ 
sudo  partition  divided  him  from  tho  fatal  councU-n  xinx  and  while  ho  undid 


WAC0U8TA;  OR,  THE  PROPHECT. 


133 


the  fastenings,  the  faint  and  dying  groans  of  his  butchered  brother  officers 
rung  in  his  ears,  even  at  the  moment  that  he  felt  his  feet  dabbling  in  the^ 
blood  that  oozed  through  the  imperfectly  closed  planks  of  which  the  partition 
was  composed.  As  for  Claraj  she  wias  insensible  to  all  that  was  passing. 
From  the  moment  of  the  Indian  yell,  announcing  their  entry  mto  the  bed- 
room, sho  had  fainted. 

The  huge  door  came  now  creaking  back  upon  its  hinges,  when  the  sounds 
of  the  yet  unfiivfihed  conflict  in  front,  which  had  hitherto  been  deadened  in 
their  descent  through  the  remote  staircase,  rang  once  more  fiercely  and  start- 
lingly  upon  the  ear.  A  single  glance  satisfied  Captain  Baynton  the  moment 
for  exertion  was  come,  and  that  the  way  to  the  lake  shore,  which,  by  some 
strange  oversight,  both  the  Indians  and  the  men  had  overlooked,  was  perfect- 
ly clear.  He  clapped  his  unconscious  burden  closer  to  his  chest,  and  then, 
setting  his  life  upon  the  cast,  hastened  down  the  few  steps  that  led  to  the 
rampart,  and  dashed  rapidly  through  the  postern ;  in  the  next  mmute  he 
Stood  on  the  uttermost  verge  of  the  sands,  unharmed  and  unfollowed.  He 
cast  his  eyes  anxiously  along  the  surface  of  the  lake ;  but  such  was  the  ex- 
citement and  confusion  of  his  mind,  produced  by  the  horrid  recollection  of 
the  past  scene,  it  was  not  until  he  had  been  abruptly  hailed  from  it,  ho  could 
see  a  boat,  at  the  distance  of  about  two  hundred  yards,  the  crew  of  which  were 
lying  on  their  oars.  It  was  the  long»boat  of  the  schooner,  which,  prevented 
from  a  nearer  approach  by  a  sand  bar  that  ran  along  the  lake  to  a  consider- 
able extent,  had  taken  her  station  there  to  receive  the  fugitives.  Two  tall 
young  men  in  the  dress,  yet  having  little  the  mien,  of  common  sailors,  were 
standing  up  in  her  stern ;  and  one  of  these,  with  evident  anxiety  in  his  manner, 
called  on  Baynton  by  name  to  make  the  best  of  his  way  to  the  boat.  At  that 
moment  a  loud  and  frantic  yell  came  from  the  block-house  the  latter  had  just 
quitted.  In  the  wild  impulse  of  his  excited  feelings,  he  answered  with  a  cheer 
of  defiance,  as  he  turned  to  discover  the  precise  point  whence  it  proceeded.  The 
windows  of  the  apartment  so  recently  occupied  by  the  unhappy  cousins,  were 
darkened  with  savage  forms,  who  now  pealed  forth  their  mingled  fury^and 
disappointn^cnt  in  the  most  terrific  manner. 

'*  Fly,  fly,  Baynton,  or  you  are  lost !"  exclaimed  the  same  voice  from  the 
boat ;  "  the  devUs  are  levelling  from  the  windows." 

While  ho  yet  spake,  several  shots  came  whizjJing  along  the  waters,  and  a 
spent  ball  even  struck  the  now  rapidly  fleeing  officer  in  the  back  j  but  the 
olstanco  wts  too  great  for  serious  injury.  The  guns  of  the  savages  had  been 
eut  so  short  for  their  desperate  entcrpnse,  that  they  carried  little  fui'thcr  than 
ahorse  pistol. 

,  Again,  in  the  desperation  of  his  feelings,  and  heedless  of  the  danger  he  wai 
drawing  on  himself  and  charge,  the  officer  turned  fiercely  round  and  shouted, 
at  his  utmost  lungs,  a  peal  of  triumph  in  the  ears  of  his  enemies.  Scarcely, 
however,  had  the  sounds  escaped  his  lips,  when  two  hideously  painted  Indians 
sprang  through  the  postern,  and,  silent  as  the  spectres  they  resembled,  rushed 
down  the  sands,  ana  thence  into  the  lake.  Loud  shouts  from  the  windows 
above  were  again  pealed  forth,  and  from  the  consternation  visible  on  the  fea- 
tures of  those  within,  the  boat,  the  nearly  exhausted  Baynton  learned  all  the 
risk  he  incurred.    Summoning  all  his  strength,  he  now  made  the  most  dea- 

Ksrate  eflbrts  to  reach  his"  friends.  The  lake  was  little  more  than  knee  deep 
om  the  shore  to  the  bar,  but,  encumbered  as  he  was,  the  difficulty  opposed 
to  his  movements  was  iuimoasurably  against  him.  and  yet  ho  seemed  gene- 
rously resolved  rather  to  perish  than  relinquish  nis  change.  Already  wore 
his  pursuers,  now  closely  followed  by  a  numerous  band,  within  twenty  yarda 
of  hnn,  when  the  two  young  men,  each  armed  with  a  cutlass  and  pistol,  sprang 
from  the  boat  upon  the  sand  bi.'^-:  as  the  Indians  came  on  they  firea  dclibo- 
rately  at  them,  bu«t  both  missed  their  aim.  Encouraged  by  this  failure,  tha 
fearless  devils  dashed  eagerly  on,  brandiilung  their  glcamir.g  tomahawks,  but 


:■:■<  ■ 
J..  _ 


!.;;^ 


h' 


I 


-i 


>/ 


Pfll 


«  ■     ; 


136 


wacovsta;    or,  the   prophecy. 


\'t 


otterin,!;  not  a  sound.  Already  was  the  unfortunate  Baynton  within  a  few  feet 
of  the  bar,  when  he  felt  that  the  savages  were  immediately  upon  him. 

"Take,  take,  for  God's  sake,  take  her!"  he  cried  as  with  a  desperate  effort 
he  threw  the  light  form  of  the  still  unconscious  girl  into  the  arms  of  one  of 
the  young  men.    "  My , strength  is  quite  exhausted,  and  I  can  do  no  more." 

for  the  first  time  a  yell  burst  from  the  lips  of  the  pursuing  savages,  aa 
they  saw  him,  to  whom  the  guardianship  of  the  wretched  Clara  was  now  con- 
fided, suddenly  spring  from  the  sand  bar  into  the  lake,  and  in  a  few  rapid 
strokes  gain  the  side  of  the  boat.  Leaving  the  hapless  Baynton  to  be  dispos- 
ed of  by  his  companion,  the  foremost  darted  upon  the  bank,  burning  with 
disappointment,  and  resolved  to  immolate  another  victim.  For  a  mwnent  he 
balanced  his  tomahawk,  and  then  with  the  rapidity  of  thought,  darted  it  at 
the  covered  head  of  the  youth  who  still  lingered  on  the  bar.  A  wel'  timed 
movement  of  the  latter  averted  the  blow,  and  the  whizzing  steel  passed  harm- 
lessly on.  A  guttural  "  ugh  !"  marked  the  disappointment  of  the  Indign,  now 
reduced  to  his  scalping-knBfe ;  but  before  he  could  determine  whether  to  ad- 
vance or  to  retreat,  his  opponent  had  darted  upon  him,  and  virith  a  single  blow 
from  his  cutlass,  cleft  his  skult  nearly  asunder.  The  next  instantaneous  pur- 
pose of  the  victor  was  to  advance  to  the  rescue  of  the  exhausted  Baynton; 
but,  when  he  turned  to  look  for  him,  he  saw  the  manned  form  of  what  had 
once  been  that  gallant  and  handsome  officer  floating,  without  life  or  motion,  on 
the  blopd-stained  surface  of  the  Huron,  while  his  fiendish  murderer,  cahnl^ 
awaiting  the  approach  of  his  companions,  held  up  the  reeking  scalp,  in  tn- 
omph,  to  the  view  of  tfee  still  yelling  groups  withm  the  block-house. 

"  Noble,  generous,  self-devoted  fellow  I"  exclaimed  the  youth,  as  he  fixed 
his  biwning  tearless  eye  fora  moment  on  the  unfortunate  victim  j  "  even  yon, 
then,  are  not  spafed  to  tell  the  horrid  story  of  this  butchery :  yet  is  the  &te 
of  the  fallen  far,  far  more  enviable  than  that  of  those  who  have  survived  this 
df^y."  lie  then  committed  his  cutlass  to  its  sheath:  and,  leaping  into  the 
deep  water  that  lay  beyond  the  bar,  was,  in  a  few  secosids,  once  more  in  the 
stem  of  the  boat. 

Meanwhile,  the  numerous  band,  who  followed  their  two  first  fierce  com- 
rades into  the  lake,  bounded  rapidly  forward:  and,  so  active  were  ttieir  move- 
ments, that,  at  almost  the  same  moment  when  the  second  of  the  youths  had 
gained  his  temporary  place  of  refuge,  they  stood  yelling  and  screaming  on  the 
&and  bar  he  had  just  quitted.  Two  or  three,  excited  to  desperation  bv  the 
blood  they  had  seen  spilt,  plunged  unhesitatingly  into  the  opposite  depths  of 
the  lake ;  and  the  foremost  of  these  was  the  destroyer  of  the  ill-fated  Bayn- 
ton. With  his  bloody  scalping-knife  closely  clutched  between  his  teeth  and 
his  tomahawk  in  his  right  hand,  this  fierce  warrior  buffeted  the  waves  lustily 
with  one  arm,  and  noiselessly,  as  in  the  early  part  of  his  pursuit,  urged  hu^ 
wav  towards  the  boat.  In  the  stem  of  this  a  few  planks  from  the  schooner 
had  been  firmly  lashed,  to  serve  as  a  shield  against  the  weapons  of  the  sava* 
ges,  and  was  so  arranged  as  to  conceal  all  within  while  retiring  fit)m  the 
shore.  A  small  aperture  had,  however,  been  bored  for  the  purpose  of  oV 
serving  the  movements  of  the  enemy  without  risk.  Through  this. an  eye  wai 
now  directed,  while  only  the  blades  of  the  oars  were  to  be "  seen  protecting 
from  the  boot's  s'des  as  they  reposed  in  their  rowlocks.  Encouraged  by  the 
seeming  apathy  and  inertness  of  the  crow,  the  swimming  savages  paused  not 
to  consider  of  consequences,  but  continued  their  daring  course  as  if  they 
apprehended  neither  risk  nor  resistance.  Presently  a  desperate  splash  wai 
hoard  near  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  the  sinuous  form  of  the  first  savage 
was  raised  above  the  gunwale,  his  grim  face  looking  devilish  in  its  smeared 
war-pain%  and  his  fierce  eyes  gleaming  and  roUmg  like  fire-balls  in  their  sock- 
ets. Scarcely  was  he  seen,  however,  when  he  had  again  disappeared.  A  blow 
from  the  cutlass  that  had  destroyed  his  companion  dcBcended  like  lightning 
on  his  naked  and  hairless  head ;  and,  in  the  agony  of  death,  he  might  be  seen 
grinding  his  teeth  against  the  knife  which  the  instinctive  ferocity  ot  his  nitnre 


wacousta;  or,  the  propueot. 


137 


forbade  his  relinquishing.  A  yell  of  fury  burst  from  the  savages  on  tht  bar. 
and  presently  a  shower  of  bullets  flew  whistling  through  the  air.  Several 
were  heard  striking  the  rude  rampart  in  the  stem;  but,  although  the  boai 
was  scarcely  out  of  pistol-shot,  the  thickness  of  the  wood  prevented  injury 
to  those  within.  Another  fierce  yell  followed  this  volley ;  and  then  nearly  a 
score  of  warriors,  giving  their  guns  in  charge  to  their  companions,  plunged 
foriously  into  the  water ;  and,  with  an  air  of  the  most  infuriated  determina- 
tion, leaped  rather  than  swam  along  its  surface. 

"  Now  then,  my  lads,  give  way,"  said  he  at  the  lookout ;  "there  are  more 
than  a  do?en  of  the  devil  3  in  fUll  cry ;  and  our  only  chance  is  in  flight  1  .Ha,I 
another  here !"  as,  turning  to  issue  these  directions,  he  chanced  to  see  the  dark 
hand  of  a  savage  at  that  moment  grasping  the  gunwale  of  the  boat  as  if  with 
a  view  to  retard  her  movements  until  the  arrival  of  his  companions. 

A  heavy  blow  from  his  cutlass  accompanied  these  words.  The  fingers,  di- 
vided at  their  very  roots,  rolled  to  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and  the  carcass  of 
the  savage  dropped,  with  a  yell  of  anguish,  far  in  the  rear.  The  heavy  oar- 
blades  of  the  seamen  now  made  play,  dashing  the  lake  away  in  sheets  of  foam; 
and,  in  less  than  five  minutes,  the  heads  of  the  swimming  savages  were  seen 
like  so  many  rats  upon  the  water,  as  they  returned  once  more  in  disappoint- 
ment from  their  frmtless  pursuit. 


■-  y  I, 


'IB 


7»"4iiiii! 


.■   '     '  CHAPTER  XXI.  ; 

*  ,     ■        .♦  ■  ■  -  ■  -      .    ■  . .  ■' 

The  sun  had  gone  down,  as  he  had  risen,  in  all  the  gloriousness  of  his  au- 
tumnal splendor,  and  twilight  was  now  fast  descending  on  the  waters  of  the 
Huron.  A  slight  bree*  was  just  beginning  to  make  itself  felt  from  the  land, 
the  gradual  rising  of  which  was  hailed  by  many  an  anxious  heart,  as  the 
schooner,  wjiich  had  been  making  vain  attempts  to  quit  her  anchorage  during 
the  dav.  now  urged  her  light  bows  through  the  slightly  curling  element.  A 
death-like  silence,  interrupted  only  by  the  low,  gruff"  voice  of  a  veteran  sea- 
man, as  he  issued,  in  technical  language,  the  necessary  orders  for  the  manage- 
ment of  the  vessel,  prevailed  every  where  along  her  decks.  The  drCss  and 
general  appearance  of  this  individual  announced  him  for  a  petty  officer  of  the 
royal  service ;  and  it  was  evident,  from  the  tone  of  authority  with  which  he 
spoke,  he  was  now  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  temporary  command.  The  crew, 
consisting  of  about  thirty  souls,  and  chiefly  veterans  of  the  same  class,  were 
assembled  along  the  gangways,  each  man  wearing  a  brace  of  pistols  in  the 
belt,  which,  moreover,  secured  a  naked  cutlass  around  his  loins ;  and  these 
now  lingered  near  the  several  guns  that  were  thrown  out  from  their  gloomy 
looking  ports,  as  if  ready  for  some  active  service,  But,  although  the  arming^ 
of  these  men  indicated  hosti|e  preparation,  there  was  none  of  that  buoyancy' 
of  movement  and  animation  of  feature  to  be  obsen'cd,  which  so  usuallv  char* 
acterise  the  indomitable  daring  of  the  British  sailor.  Some  stood  leaning 
their  heads  pensively  on  their  hands  against  the  rigging  and  hammocks  that 
were  stowed  away  sJong  the  buhvarks,  after  the  fashion  of  war  ships  in  bpard- 
iag ;  others,  with  arms  tightly  folded  across  their^chests,  gazed  earnestly  and 
despondinglv  on  the  bummg  fort  in  the  distance,  amid  the  rolling  volumes  of 
smoke  and  fiame  from  which,  ever  and  anon,  arose  the  fiendish  yell  of  those 
who,  having  already  sacked,  were  now  reducing  it  to  ashes.  Nor  was  this 
the  only  object  of  their  attention.  On  the  sand  bank  alluded  to  in  our  last 
chapter  were  to  be  dimly  seen  through  the  growing  dusk,  the  dark  outUnes 
of  many  of  the  savages,  who,  frantic  with  rage  at  their  inability  to  devote 
them  to  tho  same  doom,  wer9  still  unwilling  to  c|uit  a  spot  which  approached 
them  nearest  to  tho  last  surviving  objects  of  their  enmity.  Around  tnis  point 
wsre  collected  numerouti  canoes,  filled  also  with  warriors ;  and,  at  the  mo*. 


It''  ■,' 


K  i! 


U 


;h 


illl 


f  ' 


138 


WACOVSTA 


OR,    THE     PROPHECY. 


.1 


M 


m 


mcnt  when  the  vessel  obeying  the  impulse  given  by  her  flowing  sails,  glided 
from  the  anchorage,  these  followed,  scudding  in  her  wake,  and  made  a  show 
of  attacking  her  in  the  stern.  The  sudden  yawing  of  the  schooner,  however, 
in  bringing  her  tier  of  bristling  potts  into  view,  had  checked  the  ardor  of  the 
.  pursuing  fleet ;  and  the  discharge  of  a  single  gun,  destroying  in  its  course 
three  of  their  canoes,  and  carrying  death  among  those  who  directed  them, 
had  driven  thena  back,  in  the  greatest  hurry  and  confusion,  to  their  yelling 
and  disappointed  comrades. 

The  after-deck  of  the  schooner  presented  a  different,  though  not  less  sombre 
and  discouraging  scene.  On  a  pile  of  mattrasses  lay  the  light  and  almost  in- 
animate form  of  Clara  de  Haldiinar ;  her  fair  and  redundant  hair  overshadow- 
ing  her  pallid  brow  and  cheek,  and  the  dress  she  had  worn  at  the  moment  of 
her  escape  from  the  fort  still  spotted  with  the  blood  of  her  generous  but  un- 
.■  fortunate  preserver.  Close  at  her  side,  witU  her  hands  clasped  in  his,  while 
he  watched  the  expression  of  deep  suffbring  reflected  from  each  set  featnrcL 
and  yet  with  the  air  of  One  pre-occupied  with  some  other  subject  of  painful 
interest,  sat,  on  an  empty  shot  box,  the  young  man  in  sailor's  attire,  whose 
cutlass  had  performed  the  double  service  of  destroying  his  own  immediate 
opponent,  and  avenging  the  death  of  the  devoted  Baynton.  At  the  head  of 
the  rude  couch,  and  leaning  against  a  portion  of  the  schooner's  stem-work, 
stood  his  companion,  who  from  delicacy  appeared  to  have  turned  away  his 
eyes  from  the  group  below,  merely  to  cast  them  vacantly  on  the  dark  waters 
through  which,  the  vwssel  was  now  beginning  to  urge  her  course. 
\  Such  was  the  immediate  position  of  this  little  party,  when  the  gun  fire4  at 
the  Indians  was  heard  booming  heavily  along  the  lake.  The  loud  report,  in 
exciting  new  soiu^es  of  alarm,  seemed  to  have  dissipated  the  spell  that  had 
hitherto  chained  the  energies  and  perception  of  the  still  weak,  but  now  highly 
excited  girl. 

"  Oh,  Captain  Baynton,  where  are  tUs  ?"  she  exclaimed,  starting  up  sud^ 
denly  in  terror,  and  throwing  her  arms  around  him  who  sat  at  her  side,  as  if 
she  would  have  clung  to  him  for  protection.  "  Is  the  horrid  massacre  not 
finished  yet?  Where  is  Madeline?  where  is  my  cousin?  Oh,  I  cannot 
leave  the  fort  without  her." 

"  Ha !  where  indeed  is  sho.?"  exclaimed  the  youth,  as  he  clasped  his  trem- 
bling jjnd  scarcely  conscious  burden  to  his  chest,  "  Almighty  God,  where  is 
she  V '    Then,  after  a  short  pause,  and  in  a  voice  of  tender  but  exquisite  anguish. 
•*  Clara,  my  beloved  sister,  do  you  not  know  me  ?    It  is  not  Baynton  but 
.  your  brother,  who  now  clasps  you  to  liis  breaking  heart." 

A  deluge  of  tears  was  the  only  answer  of  the  wretched  girl.  They  were 
the  first  she  had  shed, — the  first  marks  of  consciousness  she  had  exhibited. 
Hitherto  her  heart  had  been  oppressed ;  every  fibro  of  her  brain  racked  al- 
most t»  bursting,  and  filled  only  with  ghastly  flitting  visions  of  the  dreadftil 
horrors  she  had  seen  perpetrated,  she  had  continued,  since  the  moment  of  her 
fainting  in  the  block-house,  as  one  bereft  of  all  n)#mory  of  the  past,  or  appre- 
hension of  the  present.  But  now,  the  full  out-pouring  of  her  grief  relieved 
her  oveicharged  brain  and  heart,  even  while  the  confused  ima^s  floating  be- 
fore her  recollection  acquired  a  more  tangible  and  painfiil  character.  She 
raised  herself  a  moment  from  the  breast  on  which  her  burning  head  rdposed, 
looked  steadfastly  in  the  face  that  hung  anxiously  over  her  own,  apd  saw  in- 
deed tliat  it  was  her  brother.  She  tried  to  speak,  but  she  could  not  utter  a 
,  word,  for  the  memory  of  all  that  had  occurred  that  fatal  morning  rushed  with 
mountain  weight  upon  her  fainting  spirit,  and  again  she  wept,  and  more  bit* 
terly  than  before. 

The  ;-oung  man  pressed  her  in  silence  to  his  bosom :  nor  was  it  until  sho 
had  given  .all  vent  to  her  grief,  that  ho  ventured  to  address  her  on  the  snb- 
Jcct  of  his  own  immediate  sorrows.  At  length,  when  she  appeared  somewhat 
ealm,  ho  observed,  in  a  voice  broken  by  emotion, — 

"  Clara,  dearest,  what  account  liavo  you  to  give  mo  of  Madeline  ?    Has  A% 


wacovsta;  or,  the  profheot. 


139 


'^ 


shared  the  fate  of  all?  or  have  you  reason  to  suppose  her  life  has  been 
spared?" 

Another  biu-st  of  tears  succeeded  to  these  questions,  for  coupled  with  the 
name  of  her  cousin  arose  aU  the  horrid  associations  'connected  with  her  lo^s. 
As  soon,  however,  as  she  could  compose  herself,  she  briefly  stated  all  she  had 
witnessea  of  the  affair,  from  the  moment  when  the  boat  of  the  schooner  was 
seen  to  meet  the  strange  looking  object  on  the  water,  to  that  when  she  had 
beheld  her  ill-fated  cousin  borne  away  apparently  lifeless  in  the  arms  of  the 
tall  Indian  by  whom  she  had  been  captured. 

During  this  recital,  the  heart  of  Captain  de  Haldimar, — ^for  it  was  he, — ^beat 
audibly  against  the  cheek  that  still  reposed  on  his  breast ;  but  when  his  sister 
had,  in  a  faint  voice,  closed  her  melancholy  narrative  with  the  manner  of  her 
cousin's  disappearance,  he  gave  a  sudden  start,  uttering  at  the  same  time  an 
exclamation  of  joy. 

"  Thank  God,  she  still  lives  I"  he  cried,  pressing  his  sister  once  more  in  fond- 
ness to  his  heart ;  then  turning  to  his  companion,  who,  although  seemingly 
abstracted,  had  been  a  silent  and  attentive  witness  of  the  scene, — '"'By 
heaven !  Valletort,  there  is  yet  a  hope.  She  it  was  indeed  whom  we  saw  borne 
out  of  the  fort,  and  subsequently  made  to  walk  by  the  cruel  Indian  who  had 
charge  of , her." 

"  Valletort,  Valletort,"  murmured  Clara  unconsciously,  her  sick  heart 
throbbing  with  she  knew  not  what.  "  How  \  this,  Frederick  ? — Wher^ 
then,  is  Captain  Baynton  ?  and  how  came  you  here  ?" 

"  Alas !  Clara,  poor  Baynton  is  no  more.  Even  at  the  moment  when  he 
confided  the  unconscious  burden,  preserved  at  the  peril  of  his  own  life,  to  the 
arms  of  Sir  Everard  here,  he  fell  beneath  the  tomahawk  of  a  pursuing  savage. 
Poor,  noble,  generous  Baynton,"  he  continued,  mournfully ;  "  to  him,  indeed, 
Clara,  are  you  indebted  for  your  life;  yet  was  it  purchased  at  the  price  of  his 
own." 

Again  the  pained  and  afGsctionate  girl  wept  bitterly,  and  her  brother  pro- 
ceeded : — 

"  The  strange  object  you  saw  on  the  lake,  my  love,  was  nothing  more  than 
a  canoe  disguised  with  leafy  boughs,  in  which  Sir  Everard  Valletort  and  my- 
self, under  the  guidance  of  old  Franfois  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis,  whom  you  must 
recollect,  have  made  the  dangerous  passage  of  the  Sinclair  in  the  garb  of  duck 
hunters, — which  latter  we  had  only  discarded  on  reaching  the  schooner,  in 
order  to  assume  another  we  conceived  better  suited  to  our  purpose.  Alas  !** 
and  he  struck  his  hand  violently  against  his  brow, "  had  we  made  directly  for 
the  shore  without  touching  the  vessel  at  all,  thete  might  have  been  time  to 
save  those  we  came  to  apprise  of  their  danger.  Do  you  not  think  there  was, 
VaUetort?" 

"Most  assuredly  not,"  retxmied  his  companion,  anxious  to  remove  the  im- 

i)ression  of  self-blame  that  existed  in  the  mind  of  Captain  de  Ilaldimar. 
'  From  the  moment  of  Hxxr  reaching  the  schooner,  which  lay  immediately  in 
our  route,  to  that  when  the  shout  was  raised  by  the  savages  as  they  rushed 
into  the  fort,  there  was  scarcely  an  interval  of  three  minutes ;  and  it  would 
have  required  a  longer  period  to  have  enabled  us  to  gain  the  shore." 

"  Thank,  thank  you  for  that !"  exclaimed  the  officer,  drawing  himself  up 
with  the  air  of  one  who  Si'cathes  more  freely.  "I  would  not,  for  the  wealth 
and  honors  of  the  united  world,  that  such  a  cause  for  self-reproach  should 
linger  oA  my  mind.  By  heaven !  it  xt'ould  break  my  heart  to  think  we  had 
been  in  time  to  save  them,  and  yet  had  lost  the  opportunity  through  even  one 
moment  of  neglect."  Then  turning  once  more  to  his  sister, — "  Is^ow,  Clara, 
that  I  see  you  in  safety,  I  have  another  sacred  duty  to  perform.  I  mu&c  leave 
you,  but  not  alone." 

"  What  mean  you,  Frederick  ?"  exclaimed  his  agitated  sister,  clinging  more 
closely  to  his  embrace.  "Scai>«  have  we  met,  and  you  talk  of  leaving  me, 
Oh,  whither  would  you  go  V* 


r 


m 


\4' 


m 


■i 


t^ 


tL  hi' 

'J 


Ik' 


I 


:p 


M 


r 


I 


'i^ 


140 


WACOUSTA;     or,    TKtPROPnBCT. 


it 


w 


w 


FnllB 

ajraf!^  i 

al^9^^>:i ! 

IR'^ 

^K'^ 

iSSit: 

mm 

'""    l|i| 

^ '  'ifiti 

"  Surely,  my  love,"  and  he  spoke  half  reproachfully,  although  with  tender* 
ness  of  accent,  "  my  meaning  must  be  obvious.  But  what  do  I  say  f  Yoti 
know  it  not.  Madeline  still  lives.  We  saw  her,  as  we  pulled  towards  the 
shore,  led  across  the  clearing  in  the  direction  of  Chabouiga.  Hear  me,  then : 
the  canoe  in  whi  jh  we  came  is  still  towing  from  the  vessel's  stern,  and  in 
this  do  I  mean  to  embark,  without  further  loss  of  time,  in  search  of  her 
who  is  dearer  to  me  than  existence.  I  know,"  he  pursued  with  emotion, 
"  I  have  but  little^  hope  of  rescuing,  even  if  I  do  succeed  in  finding  her :  liut 
at  least  I  shall  not' have  to  suffer  under  the  self-reproach  of  having  neglected 
the  only  chance  that  now  lies  witnin  my  reach.  If  she  be  doomed  to  die,  I 
shall  tlien  have  nothing  left  to  live  for^— except  you,  Clara,"  he  continued, 
after  a  pause,  pressing  the  weeping  girl  to  his  heart,  as  he  remarked  how 
much  she  seemed  pained  by  the  declaration. 

Having  placed  his  sister  once  more  on  the  couch,  and  covered  her  with 
a  doak  that  had  been  brought  from  the  cabin  of  the  unfortunate  commander. 
Captain  de  Haldimar  now  rose  from  his  humble  seat,  and  grasping  the  hana 
of  his  friend, — 

"  Valletort,"  he  said,  "  I  commit  this  dear  girl  to  yomr  keeping.  Hitherto 
we  have  been  equal  sharers  in  an  enterprise  having  for  its  object  the  pre- 
servation of  our  mutual  companions  and  friends.  At  present,  mterests  of  a 
more  personal  nature  occupy  my  attention;  and  to  these  must  I  devote 
myself  alone.  I  trust  you  mH  reach  Detroit  in  safety ;  and  when  you  have 
delivered  my  unfortunate  sister  into  the  arms  of  her  father,  you  will  say  to 
Hm  fr^m  me,  I  could  not  survive  the  loss  of  that  being  to  whom  I  had 
sworn  eternal  fideUty  and  affection.  Fran9ois  must  be  my  only  companion 
on  this  occasion.  Nay,"  he  continued,  pointing  to  his  sister,  in  answer  to  the 
rising  remonstrance  of  the  baronet,  "will  you  desert  the  precious  charge  I 
have  confided  to  your  keeping  ?  Recollect,  Valletort,"  in  a  more  subdued 
ione,  "  that  besides  yourseli^  there  will  be  none  near  her  but  rude  and  unedu- 
catea  sailors ; — honest  men  enough  in  their  way,. it  is  true ;  but  not  the  fiort 
of  people  to  whom  I  should  like  to  confide  my  poor  sister." 

The  wann  and  silent  pressure  by  Sir  Everard  of  his  hand  announced  hia 
participation  in  the  sentiment ;  and  Captain  de  Haldimar  now  hastened  for- 
ward to  aj^prise  the  Canadian  of  his  purpose.  .He  f&und  mine  host  of  the 
Fleur  de  Lis  seated  in  the  forecastle  of  the  schooner ;  and  vrith  an  air  of  the 
most  perfect  unconcern  discussing  a  substantial  meal,  consisting  of  dried  un- 
cooked venison,  raw  onions,  and  Indian  com  bread,  the  contents  of  a  large 
bag  or  wallet^that  lay  at  his  feet.  No  sooner,  however,  had  the  impatient 
officpT  comnM^cated  his  design,  asking  at  the  same  time  if  he  might  expect 
his  assistance  in  the  enterprise,  than  the  unfinished  meal  of  the  Canadian  was 
discontinued,  the  wallet  refilled,  and  the  large  greasy  clasp-knife  with  which 
the  portions  had  been  separated,  closed  and  thrust  into  a  pocket  of  his  blanket 
coatl 

"vl  shall  go  to  de  devils  for  you,  cafHiaine,  if  we  must,"  he  said,  as  he  rfused 
his  portly  form,  not  without  effort,  from  the  deck,  slapping  the  shoulder  of  the 
officer  at  the  same  time  somewhat  rudely  with  his  hand.  There  was  nothinff, 
however,  offensively  familiar  in  this  action.  It  expressed  merely  the  devoted- 
ness  of  heart  with  which  the  man  lent  himself  to  the  service  to  which  be  had 
pledged  himself,  and  was  rather  complimentary  than  otherwise  in  \im  to 
whom  it  was  directed.  Captain  de  Haldimar  took  it  in  the  light  in  which  we 
have  just  sliown  it,  and  he  grasped  and  shook  the  rough  hand  of  the  Canadian 
with  an  earnestness  highly  gratifying  to  the  latter. 

Every  thin^  was  now  in  readiness  for  their  departure.  The  canoe,  still 
covered  with  its  streaming  boughs,  was  drawn  close  up  to  the  gangway,  and 
a  few  hasty  necessaries  thrown  in.  While  this  was  passing,  the  ofiBccr,  had 
again  assumed  his  dis^ise  of  a  duck-hunter ;  and  he  now  appeared  in  the 
bknliet  costume  in  whuh  we  introduced  Sir  Everard  and  himself  in  the  eler- 
(tath  chapter.  »«      •  \'  , 


•  V 


waoousta: 


OR,    THE    PROFHECT. 


141 


-M 


'*  If  I  may  be  so  bold  as  to  put  in  mjy  oar,  your  honor," — said  the  veteran 
boatswain,  on  whom  the  command  of  the  schooner  had  faUen,  as  he  now  ad- 
Uranced,  rolling  his  quid  in  his  mouth,  and  dropping  his  hat  on  his  slioulder, 
•  while  the  fingers  of  the  hand  which  clutched  it  were  busily  occupied  in 
scratching  his  bald  head,—"  if  I  may  be  so  bold,  thtre  is  another  chap  here 
as  might  better  serve  your  honor's  purpose  than  that  'ere  fat  Canadian,  who 
seems  to  think  only  <k  stuffing  while  his  betters  are  fasting." 

"  And  who  is  he,  my  good  Mullins  1"  asked  Captain  de  Haldimar. 

'  Why,  that  'ere  Ingian,  your  honor,  as  began  the"  butchery  in  the  fort 
yonder,  by  trying  to  kill  Jack  Fuller  while  he  laid  asleep  this  morning,  wait 
mg  for  the  captain  in  the  jolly  boat.  Jack  never  seed  him  coming,  until  he 
felt  his  black  hands  upon  his  throat,  and  then  he  ups  with  the  tiller  at  his 
noddle,  and  sends  him  floundering  across  the  boat's  thwarts  like  a  flat-fish.  I 
thought,  your  honor,  seeing  as  how  I  have  got  the  command  of  the  schooner, 
of  tying  him  up  to  the  mainmast,  and'  giving  him  two  or  three  round  dozen 
or  so,  and  then  sending  him  to  swim  among  the  mascannungy  with  a  twenty- 
four  pound  shot  in  his  neckcloth ;  but,  seeing  as  how  your  honor  is  going 
among  them  savages  agin,  I  thought  as  how  some  good  might  be  done  with 
him,  if  your  honor  coiild  contrive  to  keep  him  in  tow,  and  close  under  your 
lee  quarter,  to  prevent  his  escape." 

"  At  all  events,"  returned  the  officer,  after  a  pause  of  some  moments,  dur- 
ing which  he  appeared  to  be  deliberating  on  his  cotu'se  of  action,  "  it  may  be 
dangerous  to  keep  him  in  the  vessel ;  and  yet,  if  we  take  him  ashore  ho  may 
be  the  means  of  our  more  immediate  destruction ;  unless,  indeed,  as  you  observe 
he  can  be  so  secured  as  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  escape ;  but  that  I  very 
much  doubt  indeed.  Where  is  he,  Mullins  1  I  should  like  to  see  and  ques- 
tion liim."  , 

"  He  shall  be  up,  your  honor,  in  no  time,"  replied  the  sailor.  Mice  more  re- 
suming his  hatj  and  moving  a  pace  or  two  forward.  Then  addressing  two  or 
three  men  in  the  starboard : — "  Bear  a  hand  there,  my  men,  and  cast  off  the 
lashings  of  that  black  Ingian,  and  send  him  aft  here,  to  the  officer." 

The  order  was  speedily  executed.  In  a  few  minutes  the  Indian  stood  on 
the  quarter-deck,  his  hands  firmly  secured  behind,  and  his  head  sunk  upon 
his  chest  in  sullen  despondency.  In  the  increasing  gloom  in  which  objects 
were  now  gradually  becomiifg  more  and  more  indistinct,  it  was  impossible  for 
Oaptain  de  Haldimar  to  distinguish  his  features ;  but  there  was  something  in 
the  outline  of  the  Indian's  form  that  impressed  him  with  the  conviction  he 
had  seen  it  before.  Advancing  a  pace  or  or  two  forward,  he  propounced,  in  an 
emphatic  and  audible  whisper,  the  name  of  "  Oucanasta  1"  i»  ^ 
.  The  Indian  gave  an  involuntary  start,— uttered  a  deep  interjectional "  Ugh  P 
-and,  raising  his  head  from  his  chest,  fixed  his  eye  steadily  on  the  officer. 

"  Hookynaster ! — Hookynaster !"  growled  Jack  Fuller,  who  had  followed 
to  hear  the  examination  of  his  immediate  captive :  "  why,  your  honor,  that 
Jaw-breaking  name  reminds  me  as  how  the  chap  had  a  bit  of  a  paper  when  I 
chucked  him  into  the  jolly-boat,  stuck  in  his  girdle.  It  was  covered  over 
with  pencil-marks,  as  writmg  like  j  but  all  was  rubbed  out  agin,  except  some 
such  sort  of  a  name  as  that."  ^ 

"  Where  is  it  ?— what  have  you  done  with  it  1"  hastily  asked  Captain  de 
Haldimar.  ^  • 

"  Here,  in  my  backy-box,  your  honor.  I  kept  it  safe,  thinking  as  how  it 
might  sarve  to  let  us  know  all  about  it  afterwards." 

The  sailor  now  drew  from  the  receptacle  just  named  a  dirty  piece  of  folded 
'    paper,  deeply  impregnated  with  the  perfume  of  stale  and  oft  re-chewed  quids 
of  coarse  tobacco ;  and  then,  with  the-  air  of  one  conscious  of  having  "  ren- 
dered the  state  some  service,"  hitched  up  his  trowsers  witH  one  hand,  while 
with  the  other  he  extended  the  important  document. 

To  glance  his  eyo  hurriedly  over  the  paper  by  the  light  of  a  dark  lanthorn 
that  had  meM^while  been  brought  upon  deck,  unclasp  his  hunting-knife,  and 


(••'^ 


ti    1 


I 


't! 


;;i 


:i 


i 

1 5. J 


M 


142 


Vaoousta;    or,  theprofhbot. 


mn 


.  .-".H 


b3.  !■: 


■^l 


divide  the  ligatures  of  the  captive,  and  then  warmly  press  his  liberated  lianda 
with  his  own,  wetQ,  with  Captain  de  Haldimar,  but  the  work  of  a  minute. 

"  Hilloa !  which  the  devU  way  does  the  wind  blow  now  ?"  muttered  Fuller^ 
the  leer  of  self-satisfaction  that  had  hitherto  played  in  his  eye  rapidly  giving 
place  to  an  air  of  seriousness  and  surprise ;  an  expression  that  was  not  at  all 
diminished  by  an  observation  from  his  new  commander. 

"  I  tejl  you  what  it  is,  Jack,"  said  the  latter  hnprcssively  j  "  I-don't  pretenJl 
to  have  more  gumption  (qu.  discernment  ?)  than  my  messmates ;  but  I  can 
see  through  a  millstone  as  clear  as  any  man  as  ever  heaved  a  lead  in  these 
here  lakes ;  and  may  T  never  pipe  boatswain's  whistle  again,  if  you  am*t, 
some  how  or  other,  in  the  wrong  box.    That  'ere  Ingian's  one  of  us !" 

The  feelings  of  Captain  de  Haldimar  may  easily  be  comprehended  by  our 
readers,  when,  on  glancing  at  the  paper,  he  found  himself  confirmed  in  the 
impression  previously  made  on  him  by  the  outline  of  the  captive's  form.  The 
writing,  nearly  obliterated  by  damp,  had  been  rudely  traced  by  his  own  pen- 
cil, on  a  leaf  torn  from  his  pocket-book  on  the  night  of  his  visit  to  the  Indian 
encampment,  and  at  the  moment  when  seated  on  the  fatal  log,  Oucanasta  had 
promised  her  assistance  in  at  least  rescuing  his  betrothed  bride.  They  were 
addressed  to  Major  de  Haldimar,  and  briefly  stated  that  a  treacherous  plan 
was  in  contemplation  by  the  enemy  to  surprise  the  fort,  which  the "  bearer, 
Oucanasta  (the  latter  word  strongly  marked),  would  fully  explain,  if  she 
cojild  possibly  obtain  access  within.  From  the  narrative  entered  into  by 
Glara,  who  had  particularly  dwelt  on  the  emotions  of  fear  that  had  sprung 
up  in  her  own  and  cousin's  heart  by  the  sudden  transformation  of  a  supposed 
harmless  beaver  into  a' fierce  and  threatening  savage,  he  had  no  difficulty 
in  solving  the  enigma. 

The  Indian,  in  whom  he  had  recognised  the  young  chief  who  had  saved  hii.>..; 
from  the  fury  of  Wacousta,  had  evidently  been  won  upon  by  his  sister  to 
perform  a  service  which  offered  so  much  less  difficulty  to  a  warrior  than  to  a 
woman ;  and  it  wt^s  clear,  that;  finding  all  other  means  of  communication 
with  the  fort,  undisfcovered  by  his  own  people;  impracticable,  he  had  availed 
himself  of  the  opportunity,  when  he  saw  the  boat  on  the  strand,  to  assume  a 
r  disguise  so  \^11  adapted  to  ins  ..re  success.  It  was  no  remarkable  thing  to 
see  both  the  beaver  and  the  otter  moving  on  the  calm  surface  of  the  waters 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  fortis,  even  at  mid-day ;  add,  occupied  as  the  Indians 
were,  to  a  man,  at  that  mv^ment  with  their  cruel  projects,  it  was  by  no  means 
likely  that  their  attention  should  have  been  called  off  from  ih^se  to  so  ap- 
parently unimportant  a  circumstance.  The  act  that  had  principally  alarmed 
the  cousins,  asd  terminated,  as  wo  have  seen,  in  the  sudden  attack  of  the 
sailor,  had  evidently  been  misconceived.  The  hand  supposed  to  be  feeling  for, 
tht!  heart  of  the  sluggard,  had,  in  all  probability,  been  placed  on  his*  chest  with 
a  view  to  arouse  him  from  his  slumber ;  while  that  which  was  believed  to 
have  been  di-opped  to  the  handle  of  the  knife,  was,  in  reality,  merely  seeking 
the  paper  that  contained  the  annoimcement,  which,  if  then  delivered,  might 
^have  saved  the  garrison. 

Such  was  the  train  of  conjecture  that  .now  passed  through  the  mind  of  the 
officer;  but,  although  he  thus  placgd  the  conduct  of  the  Indian  in  the  most 
favorable  light,  his  impression  received  no  confirmation  from  the  lips  of  the 
latter.  Sullen  and  doggedly,  notwithstanding  the  release  from  his  bonds,  the 
Ottawa  hung  his  hiad  upon  his  chest,  with  his  eyes  riveted  on  the  deck,  and 
obstinately  refused  to  answer  every  question  put  to  him  by  his  deliverer.  This, 
however,  did  not  the  less  tend  to  confirm  Captain  de  Haldimar  in  his  bell  i. 
He  knew  enough  of  the  Indian  character  to  understand  the  indignant  ai  d 
even  revengeful  spirit  likely  to  be  aroused  by  the  treatment  the  sjavage  had 
met  with  in  return  for  his  intended  services.  He  was  aware  that,  without 
pausing  to  reflect  on  the  fact  that  the  sailor,  ignorant  of  his  aotual  purpose* 
cbnld  merely  have  r,een  in  him  m  enemy  in  the  act  of  attempting  his  life,  the 
cLief  would  only  consider  and  inflame  himself  over  the  recollection  or  th« 


WACorsTA;    on,   the   prophecy 


14S 


bloir  inflicted;  and  that,  with  the  true  obstinacy  of  his  race,  he  would  rather 
Buffer  captivity  or  death  itself,  than  humble  the  haughty  pride  of  his  nature, 
by  condescending  to  an  explanation  with  those  by  whom  he  felt  himself  so 
deeply  injured.  Still,  even  amid  all  his  own  personal  griefs, — griefs  that  ren- 
dered the  boon  in  some  degree  at  present  valueless, — Captain  de  Ualdimar 
could  not  forget  that  the  youth,  no  matter  by  what  motive  induced,  had  rea- 
cued  him  from  a  dreadful  death  an  a  previous  occasion.  "With  the  generous 
warmth,  therefore,  of  a  grateful  mind,  hie  now  sougt^t  to  impress  on  the  In- 
dian the  deep  sense  of  obligation  under  which  he  labored ;  explaining  at  the 
same  time  the  very  natural  error  into  which  the  sailor  had  fallen,  and  con- 
cluding with  a  declaration  that  he  was  free  to  quit  the  vessel  in  the  canoe  in 
which  he  himself  was  about  to  take  his  departure  for  the  shore,  in  search  of 
her  whom  his  sister  had  pledged  herself,  at  all  hazards,  to  save. 

The  address  of  the  officer,  touching  and  impressive  as  language  ever  is  that 
comes  from  th^heart,  was  not  altogether  without  effect  on  the  Indian.  Several 
times  he  interrupted  him  with  a  short,  quick,  approving  "  Ugh  !"  and  when  he 
at  length  received  the  assurance  that  he  was  no  longer  a  prisoner,  he  raised 
his  eyes  rapidly,  although  without  moving  his  head,  to  the  countenance  of  his 
deliverer.  Already  were  his  lips  opening  to  speak  for  the  first  time,  when  the 
attention  of  the  group  around  him  was  arrested  by  his  giving  a  sudden  start 
of  surprise.  At  the  same  moment  he  raised  his  head,  stretched  his  neck 
threw  forward  his  right  ear,  and,  uttering  a  loud  and  emphatic  "Waugh!'* 
pointed  with  his  finger  over  the  bows  of  the  vessel. 

4^1  listened  for  upwards  of  a  minute  in  mute  suspense ;  and  then  a  faint  and 
scarcely  distinguishable  sound  was  heard  in  the  direction  in  which  he  pointed. 
Scarcely  had  it  floated  on  the  air,  when  a  shrill,  loud,  and  prolonged  cry,  of 
peculiar  tendency,  burst  hurriedly  and  eagerly  from  the  lips  of  the  captive ; 
and,  spreading  over  the  brodlcl  expanse  of  water,  seemed  to  be  re-echoed  back 
from  every  point  of  the  surrounding  shore. 

Grieat  was  the  confusion  that  followed  this  startling  yell  on  the  decks  oif  the 
schooner.  "  Cut  the  hell-fiend  down !" — "  Chuck  him  overboard !" — "  We  are 
betrayed !" — "  Every  man  to  his  gun !" — "  Put  the  craft  about !"  were  among  the 
numerous  exclamations  that  now  rose  simultaneously  from  at  least  twenty 
lips,  and  almost  drowned  the  loud  shiiek  that  burst  again  from  the  ^vretched 
Clara  de  Haldiihar. 

"  Stop,  Mullins! — Stop,  men !"  shouted  Captain  de  Haldimar,  firmly,  as  the 
excited  boatswain,  with  two  or  three  of  his  companions,  now  advanced  with 
the  intention  of  laying  violent  hands  on  the  Indian.  "  1  will  answer  for  his 
fidelity  with  my  life.  If  ho  be  false,  it  will  be  time  enough  to  punish  him 
literwards ;  but  let  us  calmly^  await  the  iss^ie  like  nien.  Hear  me,"  he  pro- 
ceeded, as  he  remarked  their  ^icredulous,  uncertain,  and  still  threatening  air ; 
"  this  Indian  saved  me  from  the  tomahawks  of  his  tribe  not  a  week  ago ;  and, 
even  nowj  he  has  become  our  captive  in  the  act  of  taking  a  note  frqm  me  to 
the  garrison  to  warn  them  of  their  danger.  But  for  that  slumbering  fool,"  he 
added,  bitterly,  pointing  to  Fuller,  who  slept  when  he  should  have  watched, 
"  yon  fort  would  not  have  been  what  it  is, — a  mass  of  smoking  ruins.  He  has 
an  ocean  of  blood  upon  his  soul,  that  all  the  waters  of  the  Huron  can  never 
wash  out  I" 

Struck  by  the  vehement  manner  of  the  officer,  and  the  disclosure  ho  had 
Just  made,  the  sailors  sunk  once  more  into  inaction  and  silence.  The  boat- 
swain alone  spoke. 

"  I  thought,  your  honor,  as  how  Jack  Fuller,  who  sartainly  is  a  better  hand 
at  a  anooze  than  a  watch,  had  got  in  a  bit  of  a  mess  j  but,  shiver  my  topsails, 
if  I  think  it's  qiite  fair  to  blame  him,  neither,  for  clapping  a  stopper  on  the 
Ingian's  cable,  seeing  as  how  he  was  expectipg  a  shot  between  wind  and  water. 
Still,  as  the  chap  turns  out  to  be  an  honest  chap,  and  has  saved  your  honor's 
life  above  all,  I  don't  much  care  if  I  give  him  a  grip.  Here,  old  fellow,  tip  u» 
your  fist !» 


"i      ^  ' 


V 


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::ii 


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f 


¥■ 


144 


wacovsta:    or,  thb   propheot. 


m. 


v ,  .)• 


0 


"Without  seeming  to  understand  that  his  cry  had  been  productive  of  general, 
and  intense  alarm  throughout  the  vessel,  the  Indian  had  viewed  the  sil^den 
rushing  of  the  crew  towards  him  as  an  act  of  gratuitous  hostility  j  and,  with- 
out shrinking  from  the  attack,  had  once  more  resumed  his  original  air  of  dog- 
ged sullenness.  It  was  evident  to  him,  from  tho  discussion  going  on  that  some 
violence,  about  to  be  offered  to  his  person,  had  only  been  prevented  by  the  in- 
terference of  the  officer.  With  the  natural  haughtiness  of  his  savage  nature, 
he  therefore  rejected  the  overtures  cf  the  sailor,  whose  hand  he  had  observed 
among  the  first  that  were  raised  against  him.  v 

While  the  angry  boatswain  was  yet  rolling  his  quid  within  his  capacious 
iaws,  racking  his  braJn  for  the  strongest  language  wherein  to  give  vent  to  his 
mdignation,  his  ears  were  suddenly  saluted  by  a  low  but  cle^r' "  Hilloa !"  from 
the  bows  of  the  schooner. 

"Ay,  ay!"  was  the  brief  response.  '  '  '•  '■   '  '"  ^  *    '        "   * 

"  There's  something  approaching  us  ahead,  on  the  wcathet  fore  quarter,** 
continued  the  same  voice,  which  was  that  of  the  man  on  the  look-out. 

The  most  profound  silence  now  pervaded  the  deck.  Every  individual,  in- 
cluding Captain  de  Haldimar  and  the  boatswain,  had  flown  to  the  gangway  of 
the  quarter  indicated,  which  was  on  the  side  occupied  by  the  couch  of  the  un- 
fortunate Clara.  Presently  a  noise  like  that  produced  by  a  single  paddie 
rapidly  dividing  the  water,  was  heard  by  every  anxious  ear.  Night  had  long 
since  thrown  her  mantle  over  the  surrounding  waste ;  and  all  that  was  to  be 
seen  reflected, from  the  bosom  of  the  gradually  darkening  river,  scarcely  ruffled 
by  the  yet  incipient  breeze,  were  a  few  straggling  stars,  that  here  and  tkere 
appeared  in  the  overcast  heavens.  Hitherto  no  object  could  be  discovered  by 
those  who  strained  their  eyes  eagerly  and  painfully  through  the  gloom,  al- 
though the  sounds  became  at  each  moment  more  distinct.  It  was  evident  the' 
party,  guided  by  the  noise  of  the  rippling  waves  that  fell  from  the  bows  of  the 
schooner,  was  enabled  to  follow  up  a  course,  the  direct  clue  to  which  had  been 
indicated  by  the  cry  of  the  captive.  Every  man  stood  near  his  gun  oh  the 
starboard  battery,  and  the  burning  matches  hanging  oyer  their  respective 
buckets  ready  to  be  seized  at  a  moment's  notice.  Still,  but  little  room  for  ap- 
prehension existed :  for  the  practised  ear  of  the  mariners  could  easily  tell  that 
a  solitary  bark  alone  approached ;  and  of  one.  or  even  ten,  they  entertained  no 
fear.  Suddenly,  as  the  course  of  the  vessel  was  n6w  changed  si  point  to  wind- 
ward,— a  movement  that  brought  her  bows  more  off"  the  adjacent  shore, — the 
souna,  in  which  all  were  more  or  less  interested,  was  heard  not  more  than 
twenty  yards  off,  and  in  a  line  vith  the  gangway  at  which  the  principal  of  the 
crew  were  assembled.  In  the  next  niinute  the  low  hull  of  a  canoe  came  in 
sight,  and  then  a  tall  and  solitary  human  figure  was  seen  in  the  stem,  bend»  < 
ing  alternately  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  as  t]^  paddle  was  rapidly  and  suc- 
cessively changed  from  side  to  side. 

Another  deep  and  exulting  "  Ugh  !"-was  now  heaved  from  the  chest  of  the 
Indian,  who  stood  calmly  on  the  spot  on  which  he  had  at  first  rested,  while 
Fuller  prepared  a  coil  of  rope  to  throw  to  the  active  steersman. 

"  Avast  ihere.  Jack  I"  growled  the  boatswain,  addressing  the  sailor ;, "  how 
can  the  stranger  keep  the  bow  of  his  craft  on,  and  grapple  at  the  same  time  ? 
Just  pass  one  end  of  the  coil  round  your  waist,  and  swing  yourself  gently  into 
her." 

The  head  of  the  canoe  was  now  near  enough  for  the  purpose.  The  sailor  did 
as  he  was  desired,  having  previously  divested  himself  of  his  shoes,  and  leaping 
forward,  alighted  on  what  appeared  to  him  to  be  a  bundle  of  blankets  stowed 
away  in  her  bows.  No  sooner,  however,  had  he  securec^his  footing,  when 
with  another  desperate  leap,  and  greatly  to  the  astonishment  of  all  around,  he 
bounded  once  more  to  the  deck  of  the  schooner,  his  countenance  exhibiting 
every  mark  of  superstitious  alarm.  In  jthe  act  of  quitting  the  canoe  he  had 
spumed  her  several  feet  from  the  Vesslsl,  which  the  silent  steersman  was  again 

making  every  effort  to  reach. 

•  ,<<»■■. 

.7"      ■-  • 


# 


o^-- 


% 


I 


WAC0V8TA;     OR,    THE     PROPHSOT. 


145 


ito 


he 


*♦  Why,  what  the  devil's  the  matter  with  you  now?"  exclaimed  the  rough 
boatswain,  who,  as  well  as  Captain  de  Ilaldimar  and  the  rest  of  tho  crew,  had 
quitted  the  gangway  to  learn  the  cause  cf  this  extraordinary  conduct.  "  Damn 
my  eyes,  if  you  ar'nt  worse  scared  than  when  the  Ingiau  stood  over  you  in 
the  jolly  boat." 

*'  Scared,  ay,  to  be  sure  I  am ;  and  so  would  you  be  scared  too,  if  you  'd  a 
see'd  what  1  did.  May  I  never  touch  the  point  at  Portsmouth,  if  I  a'n't  seen 
her  ghost." 

"  Where  1 — whose  ghost  ? — what  ghost  ? — what  do  you  mean.  Jack  ?"  ex- 
claimed soveral  men  in  the  same  breath,  while  the  superstitious  dread  so  com- 
mon to  mariners  drew  them  still  closer  in  the  group  that  encircled  their  com- 
panion. , 

"  Well,  then,  as  I  am  a  miserable  sinner,"  returned  the  man,  impressively, 
and  in  a  low  tone,  "  I  see'd  in  the  bows  of  the  canoe, — and  the  hand  that 
steered  it  was  not  made  of  flesh  and  blood  like  ours,'— what  do  you  think  ?— 
the  ghost  of  -" — " 

Captain  de  Italdimar  heard  no  more.  At  a  single  bound  he  had  gained  the 
ship's  side.  He  straiiill^d  his  eyes  anxiously  over  the  gangway  in  search  of 
the  canoe,  but  it  was  gone.  A  death-like  silence  throughout  the  deck  follow- 
M  the  communication  of  the  sailor,  and  in  that  pause  the  sound  of  the  reced* 
ing  boat  could  b^  heard,  not  urged,  as  it  had  approached,  by  one  paddlei, 
but  by  two.  The  heart  of  the  ofiBcw  throbbed  almost  to  suffocatidn ;  and  his 
firmness,  hitherto  supported  by  the  manly  energies  of  nature,  nowfailed  him 
qviite.  lleedless  of  appearances,  regardless  of  being  overlooked,  ho  tottered 
like  a  drunken  man  for  support  against  the  mainmast.  For  a  moment  or  two 
he  leant  his  head  upon  his  hand,  with  the  air  of  one  immersed  in  the  most 

Srofound  abstraction ;  while  the  crew,  at  once  alarmed  and  touched  by  the 
eep  distress  into  which  this  mysterious  circumstance  had  plunged  him,  stood  ' 
silently  and  respectfully  watching  his  emotion.    Suddenly  he  started  from 
his  attitude  of  painful  repose,  hke  one  awakening  from  a  dream,  and  demanded 
what  had  become  of  the  In^n. 

Every  one  looked  around,  but  Ihe  ciiptive  was  no  where  to  be  seen.  Search 
was  made  below,  both  in  the  cabin  (tnd  in  the  fore  decks,  and  men  were  sent 
np  aloft  to  see  if  he  had  secreted  himself  in  the  rigging ;  but  all  retimed, 
siting  he  was  no  where  to  be  found.  He  had  disappeared  from  the  veSbo« 
altogetHSr,  yet  no  one  knew  how ;  for  he  had  not  been  observed  to  stir  from 
the  spot  on  which  he  had  first  planted  himself.  It  was  plain  however,  he  had 
ioined  the  mysterious  party  in  the  canoe,  from  the  Tact  of  the  "second,  paddle 
ihaving-  been  detected;  and  all  attempt  at  pursuit,  without  endangering  the 
vessel  on  the  shallows,  whither  the  course  of  the  fugitives  was  now  directed, 
was  declared  by  the  boatswain  utterly  impracticable. 

The  announcement  of  the  Indian's  disappearance  seemed  to  put  the  climax 
jto  the  despair  of,  the  unfortunate  oflBcer.  "  Then  is  our  eveiy  hope  lost  1"  he 
groaned  aloud,  as,  quitting  the  centre  of  the  vessel,  he  slowly  traversed  the 
deck,  and  once  more  stood  at  the  side  of  his  no  less  unhappy  and  excited  sis* 
ter.  For  a  moment  or  two  he  remained  with  his  arms  folded  across  his  chest, 
g^uig  on  the  dark  outline  of  her  form ;  and  then,  in  a  wild  paroxysm  of 
silent,  tearless  grief,  threw  himself  suddenly  on  the  edge  of  the  couch,  and 
clasping  her  in  a  long  close  embrace  to  his  audibly  beating  heart,  lay  like  one 
.  bereft  of  all  sense  and  consciousness  of  siurounding  ot)iects. 


■'{■■ 


'•« 


CIIAPTEB  XXS.. 


Tbi  night  passed  awa^  without  further  event  on  board  the-  sehooner.  yel 
.  b  all  the  anxiety  that  might  be  supposed  incident  to  men  so  perilously  siuial* 

10  fr 


\j 


Vi 


•■'v  ■■ 


'  »■ 


V  . 


146 


WAC0V8TA;     OR,     THE     PROPHECT. 


ed.  Habits  of  long  since  acquired  superstition,  too  powerful  to  be  easily  sbak 
en  off,  moreover,  contributed  to  the  dejection  of  the  mariners,  among  whoa 
there  were  not  wanting  those  who  believed  the  silent  steersman  was  in  reality 
what  their  comrade*  had  represented,— an  immaterial  being,  sent  from  the 
world  of  spirits  to  .warn  them  of  some  impending  evil.  What  principally 
cave  weight  to  this  impression  were  the  repeated  asseverations  of  Puller, 
during  the  sleepless  night  passed  by  all  on  deck,  that  what  he  had*  seen 
was  no  other,  could  be  no  other,  than  a  ghost !  exhibiting  in  its  hueless, 
fleshless  cheeks,  the  well  known  lineaments  of  one  who  was  supposed  to  be  no 
more  J  and,  if  the  story  of  their  comrade  had  needed  confirmation  among  men 
in  whom  faith  in,  rather  than  love  for,  the  marvellous  was  a  constitutional  in- 
gredient, ihe  terrible  effect  that  seemed  to  have  been  produced  "on  Captain  de 
Haldimar  by  the  same  mysterious  visitation  would  have  beei)  more  than  con- 
clusive. The  very  appearance  of  the  night,  too,  favored  the  delusion.  Thd 
heavens,  comparatively  clear  at  the  moment  when  the  canoe  approached  tho 
vessel,  became  suddenly  enveloped  in  the  deepest  gloom  at  its  dc|{)arture,  as  if 
to  enshroud  the  course  of  those  who,  having  so  mysteriously  approached,  had 
also  so  unaccountably  disappeared.  Nor  bad  this  threatemng  state  of  the  at- 
mosphere the  counterbalancingadvantage  of  storm  and  tempest  to  drive  them 

\  onward  through  the  narrdw  waters  of  the  Sinclair,  and  enable  them,  by  anti- 
cipating the  pursuit  of  their  enemies,  to  shun  the  Scylla  anil  Charbydis  that 
awaited  their  more  leisure  advance.  Tho  wind  increased  not  j  and  the  disap- 
pointed seamen  remarked,  with  dismay,  that  their  craft  scarcely  made  more 
progress  tha^  at  that  moment  when  she  first  quitted  her  anchorage.  ; 

It  was  now  near  the^first  hours  of  day;  and  although,  perhaps,  none  slept, 
there  were  few  who  were  not  apparently  at  rest,  and  plunged  in  the  most 
painful  reflections.  Still  occupying  her  humble  couch,  and  shielded  frem  the 
night  air  merely  by  the  cloak  that  covered  her  own  blood-stained  garments, 

.  lay  tho  unhappy  Clara,  her  deep  groans  and  stifled  sobs  bursting  occasionally 
fjx)m  her  ppnt-up  heart,  aad  falling  on  the  ears  of  the  mariners  like  sounds  of 
fearful  import,  produced  by  tho  mysterious  agefty  that  already  held  isuch 
undivided  power  over  their  thoughts.  On  thfe  bare  deck,  at  her  side,  lay  her 
brother,  his  face  turned  upon  the  planks,  a?  if  to  shut  out  all  objects  from 
eyes  he  had  not  the  power  to  close ;  and,  with  one  arm  supporting  his  heavy, 
brow,  while  the  other,  cast  around  the  restless  form  of  his  bdoyed  sister, 
seemed  to  offer  protection  and  to  impart  confidence,  even  while  his  lips  deniea 
the  accents  of  consolation.  Seated  oil  an  empty  hen-coop  at  their  head,  was 
Sir  Everard  Valletort,  his  back  reposing  against  the  bulwarks  of  the  vessel, 
hie  arms  folded  across  his  chest,  and  his  eyes  bent  mechanically  qn  the  man 
at  the  helm,  who  stood  within  a  few  paces  of  him, — an  attitude  of  absorption, 
wliich  he,  ever  and  anon,  changed  to  one  of  anxious  and  enquiring  interest, 
whenever  the  agitation  of  Clara  was  manifested  in  the  manner  already  shown. 
-The  main  deck  and  forecastle  of  tho  vessel  presented  a  similar  picture  of 
mingled  unquiotncss  and  repose.  Many  of  tho  j|bamen  might  bo  seen  seated 
on  the  gun-carriages,  with  their  cheeks  prcssin^the  rude  metal  that  served 
them  for  a  pillow.  Others  lay  along  tho  decks,  with  their  heads  resting  on 
the  elevated  hatches ;  while  not  a  few,  sqiwtted  on  their  haunches  with  their 
knees  doub  cd  up  to  their  very  chins,  supported  in  that  position  the  aching 
head  that  rested  between  their  rough  and  horny  palms.  A  first  glance  might 
have  induced  the  belief  that  all  were  buried  in  the  most  profound  slumber  j 
but  the  quick  jerking  of  a  limb, — tho  fitful,  sudden  shiftmg  of  a  position,— 
the  utter  absence  of  that  deep  breathing  which  indicates  the  unconscieusness 
of  repose,  only  required  to  be  noticed,  to  prove  tho  living  silence  that  reigned 
throughout  was  not  born  eithcF  of  apathy  or  sleep. 

At  the  gangway  at  which  the  o^noo  had  approached  now  stood  the  individ- 
ual already  introduced  to  our  readers  as  Jack  Fuller.  The  same  superstitioui 
terror  tliat  caused  his  flight  had  once  more  attracted  him  to  the  spot  where 
ihe  subject  of  his  alafiu  first  appeared  to  him ;  atfd,  without  seeming  to  reflect 


Jlhcir 
Ihing 
)ight 
Iber; 

p,— 

pncss 

5nc(l 

jivid- 

Itious 

l-hei* 

Biloct 


wacousta;    or,   the   PROPiiEcr, 


147 


that  the  vessel,  in  her  slow  but  certain  progi'esS,  had  left  all  Vestige  of  the 
mysterious  visitor  behindj  he  continued  gazing  over  the  bulwarks  on  the  dark 
waters,  as  if  he  expected  at  each  moment  to  find  his  sight'  stricMfen  by  the 
same  appalling  vision.  It  was  at  the  moment  when  he  had  worked  up  his 
naturally  dull  imagination  to  its  highest  percejJtion  of  the  supernatirral,  that 
he  was  joined  by  the  rugged  boatswain,  who  had  passed  the  greater  part  of 
the  night  in  pacing  up  and  down  the  decks,  watching  the  aspect  of  the  heav- 
ens, and  occasionally  tauting  ^  rope  or  squaring  a  light  yard,  unassisted,  as 
thfc  fluttering  of  the  canvass  m  the  wind  rendered  the  alteration  necessary. 

"  "Well,  Jack  !"  bluntly  observed  the  latter  in  a  gruft"  whisper  that  resem- 
bled the  suppressed  growling  of  a  mastiflf.  '  what  are  ye  thinking  of  now  ?— 
Not  got  over  your  flumbustification  yet,  that  ye  stand  here,  looking  as  sanc- 
tified as  an  old  parson  !" 

"  I'll  tell  ye  what  it  is,  Mr.  Mullins,"  returned  the  sailor,  in  the  same  key ; 
"  you  may  make  as  much  game  on  mo  as  you  like ;  but  these  here  strange 
scrt  of  doings  are  somehow  quizzical ;  and,  though  I  fears  nothing  in  the 
shape  of  flesh  and  blood,  still,  when  it  comes  to  having  to  do  with  those  as  is 
gone  to  Davy  Jones's  locker  like,  it  gives  a  fellow  an  all-overishness  as  isn't 
quite  the  thing.    You  understand  me  ?" 

"  Hang  me  ff  I  do !"  was  the  brief  rejoinder.      ■'   '  '  "    •<  -  '.      •  i 

"  Well,  then,"  continued  Fuller,  "  if  I  must  out  with  it,  I  must.  I  think 
that  'ere  Ingian  must  have  been  the  devil,  or  how  could  ho  come  so  sudden 
and  unbeknownst  upon  me,  with  the  head  of  a  'possum :  and  then  agin,  how 
could  he  get  away  from  the  craft  without  our  seeing  him  ?  and  how  came  the 
ghost  on  board  of  the  canoe  ?" 

"  Avast  there,  old  fellow ;  you  means  not  the  head  of  a  'possum,  but  a 
beaver:  but  that 'ore's  all  nat'ral  enough,  and  easily 'counted  for;  but  you 
havn't  told  us  whoso  ghost  it  was,  after  all."      * 

"  No  J  the  captain  made  such  a  spring  to  the  gunwale,  as  frightened  it  all 
out  of  my  head :  but  come  closer,  Mr.  MulUns,  and  I'll  whisper  it  in  your 
ear.    Hark!  what  was  that?" 

"I  hears  nothing,"  said  the  boatswain,  after  a  pause. 

"  It's  very  odd,"  continued  Fuller  j  "  but  I  thought  as  how  I  heard  it  seve- 
ral times  afore  you  came." 

"  There's  something  wrong,  I  take  it,  in  your  upper  story.  Jack  Fuller," 
coolly  observed  his  companion ;  "  that  'ere  ghost  has  quite  capsized  vou." 

"  Hark,  again  1"  repeated  the  sailor.  "  Didn't  you  near,  it  then  ?  A  sort 
of  a  groan,  like." 

"Where,  in  what  parti"  calmly  demanded  the  boatswain,  though  in  the 
same  suppressed  tone  in  which  the  dialogue  had  been  carried  on. 

"  Why,  from  the  canoe  Viat  lies  alongside  there.  I  hoard  it  several  times 
afore." 

"  Well,  if  you  am't  turned  a  real  coward  at  last,"  politely  remarked  Mr. 
Mullins.  "  Can't  the  poor  fat  devil  of  a  Canadian  snooze  a  bit  in  his  ham- 
mock, without  putting  you  so  completely  out  of  your  reckoning  ?" 

"The  Canadian — the  Canadian  I"  hurriedly  returned  Fuller:  "why,  don't 
you  see  him  there,  leaning  with  his  back  to  the  mainmast,  and  as  fast  asleep 
as  if  the  devil  himself  couldn't  wake  him  1" 

"  Then  it  was  the  devil  you  heard,  if  you  like,"  quaintly  retorted  Mullini 
"  b|t  bear  a  hand  and  tell  us  all  about  this  hero  ghost." 

^Hark,  again  I  what  was  that  ?"  once  more  enquired  the  excited  sailor. 

"  Only  a  gust  of  wind  passing  through  the  dried  boughs  of  the  canoe,"  hM 
Ihe  boatswam }  "  b«*t  since  we  can  get  nothing  out  of  that  crazed  p  'd;lle  of 
yours,  see  if  you  can't  do  something  with  your  hands.  That  'ere  cnnoe  rtm- 
nifig  along  side,  takes  half  a  knot  off  tho  ship's  way.  Bear  a  hand  thin, 
and  cast  off  the  painter,  and  let  her  drop  astam,  that  she  may  follow  in  our 
wake.    Ililloa  I  what's  tho  matter  with  tho  man  now  ?" 

And  well  might  ho  ask.    With  his  cyc-balla  staring,  hid  teeth  cbattcrinji, 


m 


f  ' 


•  :  ? 


-      i 


^\\\ 


% 


148 


,#• 


WACOUSTA;  or,  THB  PROPHEfT. 


(  / 


Vii 


his  body  half  bent,  and  his  arms  thrown  forward,  yet  pendent  as  if  suddenly 
arrested  in  that  position  while  in  the  act  of  reaching  the  rope,  the  terrified 
sailor  stood  {'azing  on  the  stem  of  the  canoe  j  in  which,  by  the  faint  light  of  " 
the  dawning  day,  Vas  to  be  seen  an  object  well  cal^iUated  to  fill  the  least  su- 
perstitious heart  with  horror  and  dismay.  Through  an  opening  in  the  foliage 
peered  the  pale  and  spectral  fuce  of  a  human  bemg,  with  its  dull  eyes  bent 
nxedly.and  mechanically  upon  the  vessel.  In  the  centre  of  the  wan  forehead 
was  a  dark  incrustation  as  of  blood,  covering  the  superficies  of  a  newly  closed 
woimd.  The  pallid  mouth  was  partially  unclosed,  so  as  to  display  a  row  of 
white  and  apparently  lipless  teeth  j  and  the  features  were  otherwise  set  and 
drawn,  as  those  of  one  who  is  no  longer  of  earth.  Around  the  head  was  bound 
a  covering  so  close,  as  to  conceal  every  part  save  the  face ;  and  once  or  twice  a 
hand  was  skxw^ly  raised,  and  pressed  upon  the  blood  spot  that  dimned  the  pass* 
ing  fairness  of  the  brow.  ^  Every  other  portion  of  the  form  was  invisible. 

"  Lord  have  mercy  upon  us !"  Exclaimed  the  boatswain,  in  a  voice  that,  now  , 
elevated  to  more  than  its  natural  tone,  sounded  stoxtlingly  on  the  sti.'laees  of  ^ 
the  scene  j  "  sure  enough  it  is,  indeed  a  ghost !" 

"  Ha !  db  you  believe  me  now  1"  returned  Fuller,  gaining  confidence  from 
the  admission  of  his  companion,  and  in  the  same  elevated  key.  "  It  is,  as  I 
hope  to  be  saved,  the  ghost  I  see'd  afore." 

The  commotion  on  deck  was  now  everywhere  universal.  The  sailors  started 
to  their  feet,  and  with  horror  and  alarm  visibly  imprinted  on  their  countenances, 
rushed  tumultuously  towards  the  dreaded  gangway.  ' 

"Make  way— room,  fellows!"  exclaimed  a  hurried  voice;  and  prp^"iT>tly 
Gaptain  de  Haldimar,  who  had  bounded  like  lightning  from  the  deck,  &o) "  «ta 
with  eager  eye  and  excited  cheek  among  them.  To  leap  into  the  boat  at 
appear  under  the  foliage,  -yua  the  work  of  a  single  instant.  All  listened  I  "  r- 
lessly  for  the  slightest  sound ;  and  then  every  heart  throbbed  With  the  most , 
nndefinablo  emotions,  as  his  lijiS  were  heard  giving  utterance  to  the  deep  emo- 
tion  of  his  own  spirit, — 

"  Madeline,  oh,  my  own  lost  Madeline !"  he  exclaimed  with  almost  frantio 
energy  of  passion:  do  I  then  press  you  once  more  to  my  doating  heart? 
Speak,  speak,  to  me — for  God^s  sake  speak,  or  I  shall  go  mad  I  Air,  air,— (ihe 
wants  air  only — she  cannot  be  dead." 

These  last  words  were  succeeded  by  the  ftirious  rending  asunder  of  the  fast- 
enings that  secured  the  boughs,  and  presently  the  whole  went  overboard, 
leaving  revealed  the  tall  and  pictures(]^ue  figure  of  the  officer ;  whose  left  arm 
encircled  while  it  supported  the  reclining  and  pjwerless  form  of  one  who  well 
resembled,  indeed,  the  spectre  for  which  she  had  been  mistaken,  while  his 
right  hand  was  busied  in  detaching  the  string  that  secured  a  portion  of  the 
covering  round  her  throat. ,  At  length  it  fell  from  her  shoulders ;  and  the  well 
known  form  of  Madeline  de  Haldimar,  clad  even  in  the  vestments  in  which 
they  had  been  wont  to  see  her,  met  the  astonished  gaze  of  the  excited  seamen. 
Still  there  were  some  who  doubted  it  was  the  corporeal  woman  whom  thoj 
beheld ;  and  several  of  the  crew  who  were  Oatholics  even  m{ido  the  sign  of  the 
cross  as  the  supposed  spirit  was  now  borne  up  the  gangway  in  the  arms  of  the 
pained  yet  gratified  Do  Haldimar:  nor  was  it  until  hej  feet  were  seen  finally 
resting  on  the  dcc^,  that  Jack  Fuller  could  persuade  himself  it  was  indeed 
Miss  do  Haldimar,  and  not  her  ghost,  that  lay  clasped  to  the  heart  of  the 
officer. 

With  the  keen  rush  of  the  morning  air  upon  her  brow  returned  the  stup 
ponded  consciousness  of  the  bewildered  Madeline.  The  blood  came  slowly 
and  imperceptibly  to  her  cheek ;  and  her  eyes,  hitherto  glazed,  fixed,  and  in* 
expressive,  looked  enquiringly,  yet  with  stupid  wonderment,  around.  Sh« 
started  from  the  embrace  of  her  lover,  gazcfl  alternately  at  his  disguise,  at  him- 
self, and  at  Clara':  and  then  passing  her  hand  several  times  rapidly  across  her 
brow,  utteixKl  an  liystcric  scream,  and  threw  herself  impetuously  forward  on 
the  bosom  of  the  sobbing  girl ;  who,  with  extended  arms,  parted  lips,  and 


thi 
cu 
gei 
mil 


1 


of- 

u- 

ge 
at 
!ad 
scd 
of 
ind 
md 
»  a 
asa-  ( 

ttOW  , 
iSOf 

from 
asl 

irtcd 
inceB, 

«».T»tly 

^       u. 

I  most 
emo- 

rantio 
earti 
— 9he 

fast- 
board, 
rtarm 
o  well 
ile  his 
of  the 
He  well 
which 
>amen* 
thoy 
of  the 
of  the 
finally 
indeed 
of  the 

iiosuip 

I  slowly 

andin» 

She 

[at  him- 
t>88  het 
irard  on 

ips.  »nd 


wagovsta;  or,  the  prophecy. 


149 


heaving  tosom,  sat  breathlessly  awaiting  the  first  dawn  of  the  returiiing  reason 
.  of  her  more  than  sister. 

We  should  vainly  attempt  to  paint  all  the  heart-rending  misery  of  the  scene 
exhibited  in  the  gradual  restoration  of  Miss  de  Haldimar  to  her  senses.    From 
a  state  of  torpor,  produced  by  the  freezing  of  every  faculty  into  almost  idiotcy, 
she  was  suddenly  awakened  to  all  the  terrors  of  the  past ;  and  the  deep  into- 
''nations  of  her  rich  voice  were  heard  only  in  expressions  of  agony,  that  entered 
into  the  most  iron-hearted  of  the  assembled  seamen ;  while  they  are w  from  the 
hosoni  of  her  gentle  and  sympathising  cousin  fresh  bursts  of  desolating  grief. 
Imagination  itself  would  find  difiiculty  in  supplying  the  harrowing  effect  upon 
all.  when,  with  upraised  hands,  and  on  her  ben  '.ed  knees,  her  large  eyes  turned 
wildly  up  to  heaven,  she  invoked  in  deep  and  startling  accents  the  terrible  re- 
tribution of  a  just  God  on  the  inhuman  murderers  of  her  father,  with  whose 
life-blood  her  garments  were  profusely  saturated;  and  then,  with  hvsteric 
laughter,  demanded  why  she  alone  had  been  singled  out  to  survive  the  bloody 
tragedy.   Love  and  affection,  hitherto  the  first  principles  of  her  existence,  then 
found  no  entrance  into  her  mind.    Stricken,  broken-hearted,  stultified  to  all 
feeling  save  that  of  her  immediate  wretchedness,  she  thought  only  of  the  hor- 
rible scenes  through  which  she  had  passed ;  and  even  he,  whom  at  another 
moijacnt  she  could  have  clasped  in  an  agony  of  fond  tenderness  to  her  beating 
bosom, — he  to  whom  she  had  pledged  her  virgin  faith,  and  was  bound  by  the 
dearest  of  human  ties. — he  whom  she  had  so  often  longed  to  behold  once  more, 
and  had  thought  of,  the  preceding  day,  with  all  the  tenderness  of  her  impas- 
sioned- and  devoted  soul, — even  he  did  not,  in  th^  first  hours  of  her  terrible 
consciousness,  so  much  as  command  a  single  passing  regard.    All  /he  affec- 
tions were  for  a  moment  blighted  in  her  bosom.    She  seemed  as  one  devoted, 
without  the  power  of  resistance,  to  a  grief  which  calcined  and  preyed  upon  all 
other  feelings  of  the  mind.    One  stunning  and  annihilating  reflection  seemed 
to  engross  every  principle  of  her  being ;  nor  was  it  for  hours  after  she  had 
been  restored  to  life  and  rectollection  that  a  deluge  of  burning  tears,  giving  re- 
lief to  her  heart  and  a  now  directioB  to  her  feelings,  enabled  her  at  length  to 
separate  the  past  from,  and  in  some  degree  devote  herself  to,  tha  present. 
Then,  indeed,  for  the  first  time  did  she  perceive  and  take  pleasure  in  the  pre- 
sence of  her  lover ;  and  clasping  her  beloved  and  weeping  Clara  to  her  heart. 
thank  her  God,  in  all  the  fervor  of  true  piety,  that  she  at  least  had  been  spared 
to  shed  a  ray  of  comfort  on  her  distracted  spirit.    But  wc  will  not  pain  the 
reader  by  dwelling  on  s  scene  that  drew  tears  even  from  the  rugged  and  flint- 
hearted  boatswain  himself;  for,  although  we  shotiJd  linger  on  it  with  minute 
anatomical  detail,  no  powers  of  language  wo  possess  could  convey  the  trans- 
cript as  it  should  be.     Pass  we  on,  therefore,  to  the  more  immediate 'incidents 
of  our  narrative. 

The  day  now  rapidly  developing,  full  opportimitj'  was  afforded  the  mari- 
ners to  survey  the  strict  nature  of  their  position.  To  all  appearance  they 
were  yet  in  the  middle  of  the  lake,  for  around  thorn  la)'  the  belting  sweep  of 


forest. that  bounded  the  perspwtive  of  the 
bark  was  the  fwus  or  immediate  centre. 


equidistant  circle,  of  which  their 
The  wind  was  dying  gradually 
away,  and  when  at  length  the  sun  rose,  in  all  its  splopdor,  there  was  scarce 
air  enough  in  the  h(nivens  to  keep  the  sails  from  flapping  against  the  masts, 
or  to  enable  the  vcssil  to  obey  her  helm.  In  vain  was  the  low  and  peculiar 
whistle  of  the  seamen  heard,  ever  and  anon,  in  invocation  of  the  departing 
brecac.  Andthcr  day,  calm  and  breathless  as  the  ^irereding,  had  been  char- 
tered from  the  world  of  light ;  and  their  hearts  failed  them  as  th(y  foresaw 
the  dilliculty  of  their  position,  and  the  almost  certainty  of  their  retreat  being 
cut  oft".  It  was  whilo  lalKjring  under  the  disheartening  consciousness  of  dan- 
ger, peculiar  to  all,  that  the  anxious  boatswain  summoned  Captain  dc  Haldi- 
mar and  Sir  Everanl  Vallctort,  bv  a  significant  beck  of  the  finger,  to  the  side 
of  tI)o  deck  opposite  to  that  on  which  still  lay  the  suffering  and  nearly  broken* 
hearted  girls. 


").=!' 


■4.  1 


1  ; 


i' 


i  H 


M 


iW 


nr^ 


»i 


150 


wacousta;  or,  the  prophicy^ 


f;*  ! 


n 


'  Well,  Mullins,  what  now  ?"  enquired  the  former,  as  he  narrowly  scanned 
the  expression  of  the  old  man's  features :  "  that  clouded  brow  of  yours,  I  feai 
me,  bodeSno  agreeable  information."  ^ 

"  Why,  your  honor,  I  scarcely  knows  what  to  say  about  it ;  but  seeing  as  , 
I'm  the  only  o£Sccr  in  the  ship,  now  our  poor  captifln  is  killed,  Qod  bless  inm  I 
I  thought  I  might  take  the  liberty  to  consult  with  your  honors  as  to  the  best 
way  of  getting  out  of  the  jaws  of  them  sharks  of  Ingians ;  and  two  heads,  as 
the  saying  is,  is  always  better  than  one." 

"  And  now  you  have  the  advantage  .of  three,"  observed  the  officer,  with  a 
sicjdy  smile  j  "  but  I  fear,  Mullins,  that  if  your  own  be  not  sufficient  for  the 
purpose,  ours  will  be  of  little  service.  You  must  take  counsel  from  your  own 
experience  and  knowledge  of  nautical  matters."  x 

"  Why,  to  be  sure,  your  honor,"  and  the  sailor  rolled  his  quid  from  one 
cheek  to  the  other,  "  I  think  I  may  say  as  how  I'll  venture  to  steer  the  Craft 
with  any  man  on  the  Canada  lakes,  and  bring  her  safe  into  port,  too ;  but 
seeing  as  how  I'm  only  a  petty  officer,  and  not  yet  recommended  by  his  wor- 
ship the  governor  for  the  full  command,  I  thought  it  but  right  to  consult  with 
my  superiors,  not  as  to  the  management  of  the  craft,  but  the  best  as  is  to  be 
done.  What  does  your  honor  think  of  making  for  the  high  land  over  the 
larb6ard  bow  yonder,  and  waiting  for  the  chance  of  the  night  breeze  to  take 
us  through  the  Sinclair  ?" 

"  Do  whatever  you  think  best,"  returned  the  officer.  "  For  my  part,  I 
scarcely  can  give  an  opinion.  Yet  how  are  we  to  get  there  ?  There  does  not 
appear  to  be  a  breath  of  wind." 

"  Oh,  that's  easily  managed ;  \ve  have  only  to  brail  and  furl  up  a  little,  to 
hide  our  cloth  fr6m  the  Ingians,  and  then  send  the  boats  ahead  to  tow  the 
craft,  while  some  of  us  lend  a  hand  at  her  own  sweeps.  We  shall  get  close 
under  the  lee  of  the  land  afore  night,  and  then  we  must  pull  up  agin  along 
nhore,  until  we  get  within  a  mile  or  so  of  the  head  of  the  river." 

"  But  shall  wo  not  be  seen  by  our  enemies  7"  asked  Sir  Everard ;  "  and  will 
they  not  be  on  the  watch  for  our  movements,  and  intercept  our  retreat  ?" 

"Now  that's  just  the  thing,  your  honor,  as  they're  not  likely  to  do,  if  so  be 
as  we  bears  away  from  yon  headlands.  I  know  every  nook  and  sounding 
round  the  lake ;  and  odd  enough  if  I  didn't,  seeing  as  now  the  craft  circum- 
navigated it  at  least  a  dozen  times  since  we  nave  been  cooped  up  here.  Poor 
Captain  Danvers !  (may  the  devil  take  his  murderers,  I  say,  though  it  does 
make  a  commander  of  mo  for  once;)  he  used  always  to  make  for  that 
'ero  point,  whenever  ho  wished  to  lie  quiet ;  for  never  once  did  we  see  so 
U)  iich  as  a  single  Ingian  on  the  headland.  No,  your  honor,  they  keeps  all  at  ^ 
t'other  side  of  the  lake,  seeing  as  how  that  is  the  main  road  from  Mackina  to  * 
Detroit." 

"  Then,  by  all  means,  do  so,"  eagerly  returned  Captain  de  Ilaldimar.  "  Oh, 
Mullins !  take  us  but  safely  through,  and  if  the  interest  of  my  father  can 
procure  a  king's  commission,  3'ou  shall  not  want  it^  believe'  me.** 

"  And  if  half  my  fortune  can  give  additional  stimulus  to  exertion,  it  shall 
bo  shared,  with  pleasure,  between  yourjclf  and  crew,"  observed  Sir  Everard. 

"  Thank  your  honors, — thank  your  honors,"  said  the  boatswain,  somewhat 
electrifled  by  these  brilliant  offers.  "  The  lads  may  take  the  money,  if  they 
'  ^ike  J  all  I  cares  about  is  the  king's  commission.  Give  mo  but  a  swab  on  my 
shoulder,  and  the  money  will  come  fast  enough  of  itself.  But  still,  shiver 
my  topsails,  if  I  wants  any  brib«ry  to  make  mo  do  my  duty ;  besides,  if 
'twas  only  for  them  poor  girls  alone,  I  would  go  through  firo  and  water  to 
Barve  them.  I'm  not  very  chicken-hearted  in  my  old  age^  your  honors,  but  I 
don't  recollect  the  time  wion  I  blubbered  so  much  as  I  did  when  Miss  Mado- 
lino  come  aboard.  But  I  can't  bear  to  think  of  it ;  and  now  let  us  see  and 
get  all  ready  for  towing." 

Everything  now  became  bustle  and  activity  on  board  tlio  schooner.  The 
tnatchcH,  no  longer  required  for  the  moment,  were  extinguibhed,  a&d  the  hoary 


1      • 


as 


shoU 
orard. 
lie  what 
f  they 
on  my 
shivcT 
?itlc8,  if 
aticr  to 
but  I 
Mado- 
;e  and 

.    Th« 
e  hoary 


waoovsta;    or,  the   prophecy. 


151 


oatlasses  and  pistols  unbuckled  from  the  loins  of  the  men,  and  deposited  near 
their  respective  guns.  Light  forms  flew  aloft,  and  standing  out  upon  the 
vards,  loosely  furled  the  sails  that  had  previously  been  hauled  and  clewed  up ; 
but  as  this  was  an  operation  requiring  little  time  in  so  small  a  vessel,  those 

.  who  were  engaged  in  it  speedily  gUded  to  the  deck  again,  ready  for  a  moro 
Arduous  service.    The  boats  had,  meanwhile,  been  got  forward,  and  into  these 

.  the  sailors  sprang  with  an  alacrity  that  could  scarcely  have  heen  expected 
from  men  who  had  passed  not  only  the  preceding  night,  but  many  before  it. 
in  utter  sleeplessness  and  despair.  But  the  imminence  of  the  danger,  ana 
the  evident  necessity  existing  for  exertionj  aroused  the)n  to  new  energy ;  and 
the  hitherto  motionless  vessel  was  now  made  to  obey  the  impulse  given  by 
the  tow  ropes  of  the  boats,  in  a  manner  that  proved  their  crews  to  have  en* 
tered  on  their  toil  with  the  determination  of  men  resolved  to  devote  them- 
selves in  earnest  to  their  tasks.  Nor  was  the  spirit  of  action  confined  to 
these.  The  long  sweeps  of  the  schooner  had  been  shipped,  and  such  of  the 
crew  as  remained  on  board  labored  efiectually  at  them,— a  service  in  which 
they  were  essentially  aided,  not  only  by  mine  host  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis,  but 
by  the  young  officers  themselves. 

At  mid-day  the  headlands  were  seen  looming  largely  in  the  distance,  while 
the  immediate  shores  of  the  ill-fated  fortress  were  momentarily,  and  in  thia 
same  proportion,  disappearing  under  the  dim  line  of  horizon  in  the  rtar. 

'  Afore  than  half  their  course,  from  the  spot  whence  they  commenced  towing, 
had  been  completed,  when  tne  harassed  men  were  made  to  quit  their  oars,  ii^^ 
ord^  to  partake  of  the  scanty  fare  of  the  vessel,  consisting  chiefly  of  dried 
bear's  meat  and  venison.    Spirit  of  any  description  they  had  none ;  but,  un- 
like their  brethren  of  the  Atlantic,  when  driven  to  extremities  in  food,  they 

.  knew  not  what  it  was  to  poison  the  nutritious  properties  of  the  latter  by  sip- 
ing  the  putrid  dregs  of  the  water-cask,  in  quantities  scarce  sufficient  to  quench 
the  fire  of  their  paVched  palates.  Unslaked  thirst  was  a  misery  unknown  to 
the  mariners  of  these  lakes :  it  was  but  to  cast  their  buckets  deep  into  the 
tempting  clement,  and  water,  puro^  sweet,  and  grateful  as  any  that  ever  bub- 

.  bled  from  the  moss-clad  fountain  of  sylvan  deity,  came  cool  and  refreshing 
to  their  lips,  nefufralising,  in  a  measure,  the  cruditie3-of  the  coarsest  food.    It 

.  was  to  this  inestimable  advantage  the  cr<iw  of  the  schooner  had  been  prin- 
cipally indebted  for  their  health,  during  the  long  series  of  privation,  as  far  as 
related  to  fresh  provisions  and  rest,  to  which  they  had  been  subjected.  All 
appeared  as  vigorous  in  frame,  and  robust  in  health,  as  at  the  moment  when 
tney  had  last  qtiittcd  the  waters  of  the  Detroit;  ana  but  for  the  inward  sink- 
ing of  the  spirit  reflected  in  many  a  bronzed  and  furrowed  broWj  there  was 
little  to  show  they  had  been  ^exposed  to  any  very  extraordinary  trials. 

Their  meal  having  been  hastily  despatched,  and  sweetened  by  a  draught 
from  the  depths  of  the  Huron,  the  seamen  once  moro  sprang  into  their  boatS) 
and  devoted  themselves,  heart  and  soul,  to  the  completion  of  their  task,  pull- 
ing with  a  vigor  that  operated  on  each  aftd  all  with  a  tendency  to  encourage- 
ment and  hope.  At  length  the  vessel,  still  impelled  by  her  own  sweeps,  gra- 
dually approached  the  land  ;  and  at  rather  more  than  an  hour  before  sunset 
was  so  near  that  the  moment  was  deemed  arrived  when,  without  danger  of 
being  perceived,  she  might  be  run  up  along  the  shoro  to  the  point  alluded,  to 
by  the  boatswain.  Little  more  than  another  hour  wasoccupiod  in  bringing  her 
to  her  station  ;  and  the  red  tints  of  departing  day  "tvore  visible  in  the  direction 
of  the  ill-fated  fortress  of  Michillimackinac,  when  the  sullen  rumbling  of  the 
cable,  following  the  heavy  splash  of  the  anchor,  announced  the  place  of  mo- 
mentary concealment  had  been  gamed. 

The  anchorage  lay  between  two  projecting  headlands;  to  the  outermost 
extremities  of  which  wore  to  be  seen,  overhanging  the  lake,  the  state- 
ly birch  an4  pine,  connected  at  their  base  by  impenetrable  brushwood,  ox- 
tending  to  the  very  shore,  and  affording  the  amplest  concealment,  except  from 

'  the  lake  side  and  the  banks  under  which  tho  school^  was  moored.    Fi-oa 


4 


V* 


.1>: 


* 


ifi'i': 


^; 


162 


wa^oovsta;    on,  thk    frophkct. 


the  first  quarter,  however,  little  danger  was  incurred,  as  any  canoes  the  saT- 
ages  might  send  in  discovery  of  their  course,  must  unavoidably  be  seen  the 
moment  they  appeared  over  the  line  of  the  horizon,  while,  on  the  contrary, 
their  own  ves^l,  although  much  larger,  resting  o|^  and  identified  with  the 
land,  must  be  invisible,  except  on  a  very  hear  approach.  In  the  opposite  d>> 
rection  they  were  equally  safe ;  for,  as  Mullins  had  truly  remarked,  none,  save  * 
a  few  wandering  hunters,  whom  chance  occasionally  led  to  the  spot,  were  to 
be  met  v>jth  in  a  part  of  the  country  that  lay  so  completely  out  of  the  ttatik 
of  communication  between '  the  fortress.  It  was.  however,  but  to  double  the 
second  headland  in  their  front,  and  thty  came  within  view  of  the  Sinclair,  the 
head  of  which  was  situated  little  more  than  a  league  beyond  the  spot  wnere 
they  now  lay.  Thus  secure,  for  the  present,  and  waiting  only  for  the  rising 
of  the  breeze,  of  which  ihe  setting  sun'  had  given  promise,  the  sailors  once 
more  snatched  their  hasi^  refreshment,  while  two  of  their  number  were  sent 
aloft  to  keep  t^  vigilant  look-out  alodg  the  circuit  embraced  by  the  en^m>ud> 
ed  headlands. 

During  the  whole  of  the  da^  the  cousins  had  continued  on  deck  clasped  in 
each  other's  arms,  and  sheddmg  tears  of  bitterness,  and  he&ving  the  most 
heart-rending  sobs  at  intervals,  yet  but  rarely  conversing.  The  feelings  of 
both  were  too  raifch  oppressed  to  bdmit  of  the  utterance  of  their  ^eC  The 
Tampire  of  despair  had  banqueted  on  their  hearts.  Often  had  Sir  £verard 
and  De  Haldimar  paused  momentarily  from  the  labor  of  their  oars,  to  cast  aa 
eye  of  anxious  solicitude  on  the  scarcely  conscious  girls,  wishing,  rather  than' 
expecting,  tefind  the  violen6e  of  their  desolation  abated,  and  that,  in  the  full 
expansion  of  unreserved  ccmmunication,  they  were  relieving  their  6ick  hea^ 
^m  the  terrible  weight  of  wee  that  bore  them  down.  Captain  de  Haldimar 
had  even  once  or  twice  essayed  to  introduce  the  subject  himself^  in  the  hope 
that  some  fresh  paroxysm,  following  their  disclosures,  would  remove  the  hor- 
rible stupefaction  of  their  senses ;  but  the  wild  look  and  excited  manner  of 
Madeline,  whenever  ho  touched  on  the  chord  of  her  aflSiction,  had  as  otbea 
caused  him  to  desist;  • 

Towards  the  evening,  however,  her  natural  strength  of  tharacter  came  in 
aid  of  his  quiescent  efifonts  to  soothe  her:  and  she  appeared  not  onl^  more 
compoised,  but  more  sensible  of  the  impression  produced  by  surroundmg  ob- 
ject. As  the  last  rays  of  the  sun  were  tinging  the  horizon,  she  drew  up  her 
form  in  a^itting  position^igainst  the  bulwarks,  and,  raising  her  clasped  hands  to 
heaven,  while  her  eyes  ^wcre  bent  long  and  fixedly  on  the  distant  west,  appear- 
ed some  minutes  whoUy  -lost  in  that  attitude  of  absorption.  Then  she  ck>sed 
her  eyes ;  and  through  the  swollen  lids  came  coursing,  one  by  one,  over  her 
quivering  cheek,  large  tears,  that  seemed  to  scald  a  furrow  where  they  passed* 
After  this  she  became  more  calm — her  respiration  more  free;  and  she  even 
consented  to  taste  the  humble  meal  which  the  young  man  now  offered  for  the 
third  time.  Neither  Clara  nor  herself  had  eaten  food  since  the  preceding 
morning ;  and  the  weakness  of  their  frames  contributed  not  a  httle  to  the  in- 
creasing despondency  of  their  spirits ;  but,  notwithstanding  several  attempts  ' 
previously  madeJbhey  had  rejected  what  was  offered  them,  with  insurmoimt- 
ablo  loathing.  When  thet  nad  now  swallowed  a  few  morsels  of  the  sliced 
venison  ham,  prepared  "with  all  the  delicacy  the  nearly  exhausted  resources 
of  the  vessel  could  supply,' accompanied  by  a  small  portion  <]^  the  corn-bread 
of.  the  Canadian,  Captaii^  ile  Haldimar  prevailed  on  them  to  swallow  a  few 
drops  of  the  spirit  that  still  remained  in  the  canteen  given  them  by  Erskino 
on  their  departure  from  Detroit.  The  genial  liquid  sent  a  kindling  glow  to 
their  chilled  hearts,  and  for  a  moment  deadened  the  pungency  of  their  anguish  t 
and  then  it  was  that  Miss  de  Haldimar  entered  briefly  on  the  horrors  she  had 
witnessed,  while  Clara,  with  her  arm  encircling  her  waist,  fixed  her  dim  and 
swollen  eyes,  from  which  a  tear  ever  and  anon  roUed  heavily  to  her  lap,  on 
those  of  her  beloved  cousin. 


m'd 


\ 


^ACOUSTA;     or,     THS     PHOP'tt'Xti'T. 


153 


'■,!.-,-■■ 


CHAPTER  XXin. 

Without  bbrrowi?»g  the  affecting  language  of  the  unhappy  girl — a  langaaee 
rendered  eyen  more  touching  by  the  peculiar  pathos  of  her  tones,  and  the 
searching  agony  of  spirit  that  burst  At  intervals  through  her  narrativcr-wo 
will  merely  present  our  readers  with  a  brief  summary  of  what  was  gleaned 
from  her  melancholy  disclosure.  On  bearing  her  couisin  to  the  bed-room, 
after  the  terrifying  yell  first  heard  from,  without  the  fort,  she  had  flown  down 
the  front  stairs  of  the  block-house,  in  the  hope.of  reaching  the  guard-room  in 
time  to  acquint  Captain  Saynton  with  what  she  and  Clara  had  witnessed 
from  the  window.  Scarcely,  however,  had  she  gained  the  exterior  of  tho 
building,  wher  "^--  •'^aw  that  officer  descending  from  a  point  of  the  rampart 
immediately  ou  ^  ,r  xeft,  and  almost  in  a  line  with  the  block-house.  Ho  was 
running  to  overtake  and  return  the  ball  of  the  Indian  players,  which  had,  at 
that  Inoment,  fallen  into  the  centre  of  the  fort,  and  was  now  rolling  rapidly 
away  from  the  spot  on  which .  Miss  de  Haldimar  stood.  The  course  of  the 
ball  led  the  pursuing  officer  out  of  the  reach  of  her  voice ;  and  it  was  not 


'Ui 


until  he  had  overtaken  and  thrown  it  again  over  the  rampart,  she  could  sue* 
oeed  iii  claiming  his  attention.  No  sooner,  however,  had  he  heard  her  hurried 
statement,  than,  without  waiting  io  take  the  orders  of  his  commanding  officer, 
he  prepared  to  join  his  guard,  and  gave  directions  for  the  immediate  closing  of* 
the  ^tes.  But  the  opportunity  was  now  lost.  The  delay  occasioned  by  the 
chase  and  recovery  of  the  ball  had  given  the  Indians  time  to  approach  the 
gates  in  a  body,  while  the  unsuspicious  soldiery  looked  on  without  so  much 
as  dreaming  to  prevent  them ;  and  Captain  Baynton  hsyl  scarcely  moved  for> 
ward  in  execution  of  his  purpose,  when  the  yelling  fiends  were  seen  already 
po^essing  themselveg  of  the  drawbridge,  and  exhibiting  every  appearance  of 
fierce  hostility.  Wild,  maddened  at  the  sight,  the  almost  frantic  Aladeline, 
alive  only  to  her  father's  danger,  rushed  back  towards  the  council  room, 
whence  the  startling  yell  from  without  had  already  been  echoed,  and  where 
the  tramp  of  feet  and  the  clashing  of  weapons  were  distinguishable.  y 

Out  off  from  his  guard,  by  the  rapid  inundation  of  warriors,  Captain  Bayu- 
ton  had  at  once  seen  the  futility  of  all  attempts  to  join  the  men,  and^  his  fir^t 
impression  evidently  had  been  to  devote  himself  to  the  preservation  of  the 
cousins.    With  this  view  he  turned  hastily  to  Miss  de  Haldimar,  and  hurried- 
ly naming  the  back  staircasp  of  the  block-house,  urged  her  to  direct  her  flight 
to  that  quarter.    But  the  excited  .girl  had  neither  consideration  nor  fear  for 
herself;  she  thought  only  of  her  father :  and,  even  while  the  fierceness  of 
contest  was  at  its  height  within,  she  suddenly  burst  into  the  council  looya. 
The  confusion  -and  horror  of  the  scene  that  met  her  eyes  no  language  can 
render :  blood  was  flowing  in  every  direction,  and  dying  and  dead  oificers,  al- 
ready stripped  of  their  scalps,  were  lying  strewed  around  the  room.    Still  the 
.  survivors  fought  with  all  the  obstinacy  of  despair,  and  many  of  the  Indiads 
had  shared  the  fate  of  their  victims.    Miss  de  Haldimar  attempted  to  reach 
her  father,  then  vigorously  combatting  with  one  of  the  most. desperate  of  the 
diie^ ;  but,  before  she  could  dart  through  the  intervening  crowd,  a  savage 
seized  her  by  the  hair,  and  brandished  a  tomahawb  rapidly  over  her  neck, 
At  this  moment  Captain  Baynton  sent  his  glittering  blade  deep  into  the  heart 
of  the  Indian,  who,  relinquishing  his  grasp,  fell  -dead  at  the  feet  of  his  intend- 
ed victim.    The  devoted  officer  then  threw  his  left  arm  ronnd  her  waist,  anfl 
parrying  with  his  sword-arm  the  blows  of  those  who  sought  to  intercept  his 
Slight^  dragged  his  reluctant  burden  towards  the  door.    Hotly  pressed  by  the 
remaining  officers,  nearly  equar  in  number,  the  Indians  were  now  compelled 
to  turn  and  defend  themselves  in  front,  when  Captain  Baynton  took  that  op- 
portunity of  getting  once  more  into  the  corridor,  not,  howccr,    nthout  hav- 
ug  received  a  severe  \vouik1  immediately  behind  the  right  oar,  and  leaving  a 


M 

1:f 


I 


■  ■■'■.■  i 

n 

t    I 


i 


i 


% 


•?l 


154 


wacovsta;    or,   the   prophbot. 


Mi 


^'M-^ 


f-r,   ;.,, 


i 


?» 

Of 

1(7 


skirt  and  lappel  of  his  uniform  in  the  hands  of  two  savages  who  had  suooet- 
Blvely  essayed  to*  detain  him.  At  that  moment  the  band  ^^thout  had  sno- 
eeeded  in  forcing  open  the  door  of  the  gqard  room ;  and  the  officer  saw  at  a 
elance  there  was  little  time  left  for  decision.  In  hurried  and  imploring  accents 
he  besought  Miss  de  Haldimar  to  forget  every  thing  btt  her  own  danger,  and 
to  summon  resolution  to  tear  herself  from  the  scene  j  but  prayer  and  entreaty, 

•  and  even  force,  were  alike  employed  in  vain.    Clinging  firmly  to  the  rude  bw- 
ustrades,  she  refused  to  be  led  up  'the  staircase,  and  wildly  resisting  all  his 

,  efiTorts  to  detach  her  hands,  declared  she  would  again  return  to  the  scene  of 
death,  in  which  her  beloved  parent  was  so  conspicuous  an  actor.  While  he 
was  yet  engaged  in  this  fruitless  attempt  to  force  her  from  the  spot,  the  door 
of  the  council-room  was  suddenly  burst  oppn,  and  a  group  of  bleeding  officers, 
among  whom  was  Major  de  Haldimar,  followed  by  th^ir  yelling  enemies^ 
rushed  wildly  into  the  passage,  and,  at  the  very, foot  of  the  stairs  where  they 
vet  stood,  the  combat  was  renewed.  From  that  moment  Miss  de  Haldimar 
lo^t  sight  of  her  geuorous  protector.  Meanwhile  the  tumult  of  execrations, 
and  groans,  and  yells,  wais  at  its  height ;  and  one  by  one.  she  saw  the  unhaj^y 
officers  sink  benesjth  weapons  yet  reeking  with  the  blood  of  their  comrades, 
until  not  more  than  three  or  four,  Including  her  father  and  the  commander  of 
the  schooner,  were  left.  •  At  length  Major  de  Haldimar,  overcome  by  ex^ion 
and  faint  from  wounds,  while  his  wild  eye  darted  despairingly  on  his  daugh- 
ter,  hdd  his  sword-arm  desperately  wounded,  when  the  blade  dropped  to  the 
earth,  and  a  dozen  weapons  glittered  above  his  head.  The  Wild  shriek  that 
had  startled  Clara  then  burst  from  the  agonised  heart  of  her  maddened  cousin, 
and  she  darted  forward  to  cover  her  father's  head  with  her  armsv  But  her 
senses  failed  her  in  the  attempt ;  and  the  last  thing  she  recollected  was  falling 
over,  the  weltering  fcrm  of  Middleton,  who  pressed  her,  as  she  lay  there,  in 
the  convulsive  energy  of  death,  to  his  almost  pulseless  heart.  .  ^ 

A  vague  consciousness  of  being  raised  from  the  earth,  borne  rapidly  through 
the  air,  came  over  her  even  in  her  insensibility,  but  without  any  denuito  per^ 

'  ception  of  the  present,  or  recollection  of  the  past,  until  she  suddenly,  when 
about  midway  between  the  fort  and  the  point  of  wood  that  led  to  Chabouiga, 
opened  her  eyes,  and  found  herself  in  the  firm  grasp  of  an  Indian,  whose 
features,  even  in  the  hasty  and  fearful  glance  she  cast  at  the  countenance,  she 
fiinded  were  not  unfamiliar  to  her.  Not  another  human  being  was  to  be  s^en 
in  the  clearing  at  that  moment ;  for  all  the  savages,  including  even  the  women 
assembled  outside,  were  within  the  fort  assisting  in  the  complex  horrors  of 
murder,  fire,  and  spoliation.  In  the  wild  energy  of  returning  reason  and  i&- 
spair.  the  wretched  girl  struggled  violently  to  free  herself;  and  so  far  with 
success,  that  the  Indian,  whose  strength  was  evidently  fast  failing  him,  was 
eompclled  to  quit  his  hold  and  sufier  her  to  walk.  No  sooner  did  Miss  de  Hal- 
dimar  feel  her  feet  touching  the  ground,  when  sh^^figain  renewed  her  exertions 
to  free  herself,  and  return  to  the  fort ;  but  the  Indian  held  her  firmly  secured 
by  a  leathern  thong  he  now  attached  to  her  waist,  and  every  attempt  proved 
abortive.  He  was  evidently  much  disconcerted  at  her  resistance ;  and  more  ^ 
than  once  she  ejected,  and  almost  hopcdj  tfce  tomahawk  at  his  side  would  be 
made  to  revenge  him  for  the  test  to  which  his  patience  was  subjected :  but 
Miss  de  Haldimar  looked  in  vain  for  the  expression  of  ferocity  and  impatience 
that  might  have  been  expected  from  him  at  such  a  moment.  There  was  an 
air  of  raournfulnoss,  and  even  kindness,  mingled  with  severitjr  on  his  Smooth 
brow  that  harmonised  ill  with  the  horrible  atrocities  in  whicn  he  had,  to  all 
appearance,  covered  as  ho  was  with  blood,  been  so  recent  and  prominent  an 
actor.  The  Indirn  remarked  her  surprise ;  and  then  looking  hurriedly,  but 
keenly,  around,  and  finding  no  living  being  near  them,  suddenly  tore  th» shirt 
from  his  chest,  and  emphatically  pronouncing  the  names  "  Oucanasta,?'  "  Da 
Haldimar,"  disclosed  to  the  still  struggling  captive  the  bosom  of  a  woman. 
After  which,  pointing  in  the  direction  of  the  wood,  and  Bnilly  towards  Detrott, 


'     A 


■«•   ,./•■ 


waoovsta;    or,  the    prophecy 


155 


0- 

a 
tg 
id 


she  gaid  Hiss  d>e  Haldimar  to  understand  that  was  the  course  intended  to  be 
pursued. 

In  a  moment  the  resistance  of  the  latter  ceased.  She  at  once  recognii^ed  the 
young  Indian  woman  whom  her  cousin  had  rescued  from  death :  and  aware,  aa 
she  was,  of  the  strong  attachment  that  had  subsequently  bound  her  to  her  pre- 
server, she  was  at  no  loss  to  understand  how  she  might  have  been  led  to  de- 
vote herself  to  the  rescue  of  one  whom,  it  was  jK-obable,  she  knew  to  be  his 
affianced  wife.  Once,  indeed,  a  suspicion  of  a  different  nature  crossed  her 
mind  j  for  the  thought  occurred  to  her  she  had  only  been  saved  from  the  gen- 
eral doom  to  be  made  the  victihi  of  private  revenge — that  it  was  only  to  glut  the 
jealous  vengeance  of  the  woman  at  a  more  deliberate  hour,  she  had  boen  made 
a  temporary  captive.  The  apprehension,  however,  was  no  sooner  fovrued  than 
eartinguished.  Bitterly,  deeply  as  she  had  reason  to  abhor  the  treachery  and 
cunning  of  the  dark  race  to  which  her  captor  belonged,  thero!  was  an  expres- 
sion of  opeimess  and  sincerity,  and  even  imploririgness,  in  the  countenance  of ' 
Oucanasta,  which,  added  to  her  former  knowledge  of  the  woman,  at  once  set 
this  fear  at  rest,  inducing  her  to  look  upon  her  rather  in  the  character  of  a  dis- 
interested savior,  than  in  that,  of  a  cruel  and  vindictive  engmy,  goaded  on  tO 
the  indulgence  or  malignant  hate  by  a  spirit  of  rivalry  and  revenge.  Besides, 
even  were  her  jcruelest  fears  to  be  realised,  what  could  await  her  worse  than 
the  past  1  If  she  could  even  succeed  in  getting  away,  it  would  only  be  to  re- 
turn upon  certain  death ;  and  death  only  could  await  her,  however  refined  the 
torturos  accompanying  its  infliction,  in  the  event  of  her  quietly  following  and 
yielding  herself  op  to  the  guidance  of  one  who  offered  this  slight  consolation, 
at  least,  that  she  was  one  of  her  own  sex.  But  Miss  de  Haldimar  was  willing 
to  attribute  more  generous  motives  to. the  Indian;  and  fortified  in  her  first 
impression,  she  signified  by  signs,  that  seemed  to  be  perfectly  intelligible  to  . 
her  companion,  she  appreciated  her  friendly  intentions,  and  confided  wholly 
in  her.  / 

No  longer  checked  in  her  efforts,  Oucanasta  now  directed  her  course  towards 
the  wood,  still  holding  the  thong  that  remained  attached  to  IMiss  de  Haldimar's 
waist,  probably  with  a  view  to  deceive  any  individuals  from  the  villages  on 
whom  they  might  chance  to  fall,  into  the  belief  that  the  English  girl  was  in 
reality  hei  prisoner.  No  sooner,  however,  had  they  entered  the  depths  of  the 
forest,  when,  instead  of  following  the  path  that  led  to  Chabouiga,  Oucanasta 
took  a  direction  to  the  left,  and  then  moving  nearly  on  a  parallel  hne  with  the 
course  of  the  lake,  continued  her  flight  as  rapidly  as  the  rude  nature  of  the 
underwood,  and  the  unpractised  feet  of  her  companion,  would  permit.  They 
had  travelled  in  €his  manner  for  upwards  of  four  hours,  without  meeting  a 
breathing  thing,  or  even  so  mtich  as  exchanging  a  sound  between  themselves, 
when,  at  length,  the  Indian  stopped  at  the  edge  of  a  deep  cavern-like  excava- 
tion in  the  earth,  produced  by  the  tearing  up,  by  the  wild  tempest,  of  an  enor- 
mous pine.  Into  this  she  descended,  and  presently  re-appeared  with  several 
blankets,  and  two  light  painted  paddles.  Then  unloosing  the  thong  from  the 
waist  of  the  exhausted  gurl,  she  proceeded  to  disguise  her  in  one  of  the  blankets 
in  the  manner  already  shown,  securing  it  over  the  head,  throat,  and  shoulders 
with  the  badge  of  captivity,  now  no  longer  necessary  for  her  purpose.  She 
then  struck  off  at  right  angles  from  the  course  they  had  previously  pursued ; 
and  inless  than  twenty  minutes  both  stood  on  the  lake  shore,  apparently  at  a  great . 
distance  from  the  ^.oint  whence  they  had  originally  set  out.  The  Indian  gazpd 
for  a  moment  anxiously  before  her;  and  then,  ynth  an  exclamation,  evidently 
^meant  to  convey  a  sense  of  pleasure  and  satisfaction,  pointed  forward  upon  the 
lake.  Miss  do  Haldimar  followed,  with  eager  and  aching  eyes,  the  direction  «^ 
of  her  finger,  and  beheld  the  well  known  schooner  evidently  urging  her  flight 
towards  the  entrance  of  the  Sinclair.  Oh,  how  her  sick  heart  seemed  ready 
to  burst  at  that  moment !  From  the  vessel  she  turned  her  eyes  away  upon  the 
distant  shore,  which  it  was  fast  quitting,  and  beheld  a  column  of  minglei  flame 
aud  smoke  towering  &r  above  the  horizon,  and  attesting  the  univ(^sa  wreck 


V. 


J-; 

I- 


'.;■;' 


'  : « ! 


*.■ 


156 


wacousta;  or,  thefaophboy. 


• 


i^ 


■»{.. 


kii 


m 


of  what  had  so  loiig  been  endeared  to  her  as  her  home.    And  she  had  wit- 
nessed all  this,  and  yet  had  strength  to  survive  it !  . 

The  courage  of  the  unhappy  girl  had  hitherto  been  sustained  by  no  effort 
of  volition  of  her  own.  From- the  moment  when,  discovering  a  friend  in  Oti- 
(Sanasta,  she  had  yielded  herself  unresistingly  to  the  guidance  of  that  generoua 
creature,  her  feelings  had  been  characterised  by  an  obtuseness  strongly  in 
ieontrast  with  the  high  excitement  that. had  distinguished  her  previous  man- 
ner. A  dreamy  recollection -of  some  past  horror,  it  is  true  pursued  her  dup- 
ing her  rapid  and  speechless  flight ;  but  any  analysis  of  the  causes  coiiducii^ 
to.  that  horror,  her  subjugated  fa<?ulties  were  unable  to  enter  upon.  She  had 
followed  her  conductor  almost  without  consciousness,  and  with  such  deep  ab- 
sorption of  spirit,  that  she  neither  once  conjectured  whither  they  were  going, 
nor  what  was  to  be  the  final  issue  of  their  flight.  But  now,  wnen  she  gtooa 
on  the  lake  shore,  suddenly  awakened,  as  if  by  some  startling  spell,  to  evei^ 
harrowing  ^collection,  and  with  her  attention  assisted  by  objects  long  en- 
lieared,  and  rendered  familiar  to  her  gaze — when  she  beheld  the  vessel  that 
had  last  borne  her  across  the  still  bosom  of  the  Huron,  fleeing  for  ever  from 
the  fortress  where  her,  arrival  had  been  so  joyously  bailed — when  she  saw 
that  fortress  itself  presenting  the  hideous  spectacle  of  a  blackencM  mass  of 
ruins  fast  crumbling  into  nothingness,  a  faintness,  as  of  death,  came  over  her. 
and  she  sank  without  life  on  the  beach.  Of  what  passed  afterwards,  she  haa 
no  recollection.  She  neither  knew  how  she  had  got  into  the  canoe,  nor  what 
means  Ihe  Indian  had  taken  to  secure  her  approach  to  the  schooner.  She  had 
^h  consciousness  of  having  been  removed  to  the  bark  of  the  Canadian,  nor 
did  she  even  remember  ^having  risen  and  gazed  through  the  foliage  on  th« 
vessel  at  her  side ;  but  she  presumed,  the  chill  air  of  the  morning  having 
partially  restored  pulsation,  she  had  moved  instinctively  frqpi  her  recumbent 
position  to  the  spot  in  which  her  spectre-like  countenance  had^)een  perceived 
by  Fuller.  The  first  moment  of  her  returning  reason  was  that  when,  stand- 
ing on  the  deck  of  the  schooner,  she  found  herself  so  unexpectedly*  clasped  to 
the  heprt  of  her  lover. 

Twilight  had  entirely  passed  away  when  Miss  de  Haldimar  completed  her 
sad  narrative;  and  already  the  crew,  roused  to  exertion  by  the  swelline 
breeze,  were  once  more  engaged  in  weighing  the  anchor,  and  setting  ana 
himmmg  the  sails  of  the  schooner,  which  latter  soon  began  to  shoot  round 
the  concealing  headland  into  the  opening  of  the  Sinclair.  A  deathlike  silence 
prevailed  throughout  the  decks  of  the  little  bark,  as  her  bows,  dividing  the 
waters  of  the  basin  that  formed  its  source,  gradually  immerged  into  the  cur^ 
rent  of  that  deep  but  narrow  river ;  so  narrow,  indeed,  that  from  its  centre 
the  least  active  of  the  mariners  might  have  leaped  without  diflRculty  to  ei^er 
shore.  This  was  the  most  critical  part  of  T;he  dangerous  navigation.  With 
a  wide  seaboard,  and  full  command  of  their  helm,  they  had  nothing  to  fear ; 
but  so  limited  was  the  passage  of  this  river,  it  was  with  diflBculty  the  yards 
jmd  masts  of  the  schooner  could  bo  kept  distogaged  from  the  projecting 
boughs  of  the  dense  forest  that  lined  the  adjacent  sl^res  to  their  very  junc- 
tion with  the  water.  The  darkness  of  the  night,  moreover,  while  it  promised 
to  shield  them  from  the  observation  of  the  savages,  contributed  greatljr  to 
perplex  their  movements ;  for  such  was  the  abruptness  with  which  the  river 

'  wound  ittitilf  round  in  various  djrections,  that  it  required  a  man  constantly 
oil  the  alert  at  the  bows  to  apprise  the  helmsman  of  the  course  he  should 
steer,  to  avoid  collision  with  the  shores.  Canopies  of  weaving  branches  met 
in  various  directions  far  above  their  heads,  and  through  these  the  schooner 

*  elided  with  a  silence  that  might  have  called  up  the  idea  of  a  St^gbn  freight. 
Meanwhile,  the  men  stood  to  their  guns,  concealing  the  matches  in  their  war- 
buckets  as  before ;  and  while  they  strained  both  ear  and  eye  through  tht 
surrounding  gloom  to  discover  the  slightest  evidence  of  danger,  grasped  tho 
handles  of  their  cutlasses  with  a  firm  hand,  ready  to  unsheathe  them  at  thi 
first  intimation  of  alarm. 


.^t. 


WAGOUSTA;  «R,  the  PROPHECTt 

» 


IW 


(.. 


At  the  suggestion  of  the  hoatswain,  who  hinted  at  the  necessity  of  having 
cleared  decks,  Oaptain  de  Haldimar  had  prevailed  on  his  unfortunate  relatives 
'to  ref ire  to  the  small  cahin  arranged  for  their  reception ;  and  here  they  wer« 
ftttendied  by  an  aged  female,  who  had  long  followed  the  fortunes  of  the  crew: 
and  acted  in  the  twofold  character  of  laundress  and  sem|istress.  He  himself 
with  Sir  Everard,  continued  on  deck  watching  the  progress  of  the  vessel  with 
an  azjciety  that  became  more  intense  at  each  succeeding  hoiu'.  Hitherto  their 
eourro  had  been  unimpeded,  save  by  the  obstacles  already  anumerated ;  and 
they  had  now,  at  an  hour  before  dawn,  gained  a  point  that  promised  a  speedy 
termination  to  their  danger  and  perplexities.  Before  them  lay  a  reach  in 
the  river,  enveloped  in  more  than  ordinary  gloom,  produced  by  the  continuous 
weaving  of  the  tops  of  the  overhanging  trees ;  and  in  the  perspective,  a  gleam 
of  relieving  light,  denoting  the  near  vicinity  of  the  lake  that  lay  at  the  oppo* 
site  extremity  of  the  Sinclair,  whose  name  it  also  bore.  This  was  the  nar- 
rowest part  of  the  river ;  and  so  approximate  were  its  shores,  that  the  vessel 
in  her  course  could  not  fail  to  come  in  contact  both  with  the  obtruding  foliage 
of  the  forest  and  the  dense  bulru^es  skirtjpg  the  edge  of  either  bank. 

"If  we  get  safe  through  this  here  place,"  said  the  bOktswain,  in  a  rough 
whisper  to  his  anxious  and  attentive  auditors,  "  I  think  as  how  I'll  venture 
to  answer  for  the  craft.  I  can  see  daylight  dancing  upon  the  lake  already. 
Ten  minutes  more  and  she  will  be  there."  Then  turning  to  the  man  at  the 
helm, — "  Keep  her  in  the  centre  of  thd  stream,  Jim.  Don*t  you  see  you're 
hugging  the  weather  shore  ?" 

"It  would  take  the  devil  himself  to  tell  which  is  the  centre,"  growled  the 
Bailor^  in  the  same  suppressed  tone.  "  One  might  steer  with  one's  eyes  shut 
in  such  a  queer  place  as  this,  and  never  be  no  worser  off  than  with  them  open." 

"  Steady  her  helm,  steady,"  rejoined  MuUins,  "  it's  as  dark  as  piitch,  to  be 
sure,  but  the  passage  is  straight  as  an  arrow,  and  with  a  steady  helm  you 
can't  miss  it.    Make  for  the  light  ahead." 

"  Abaft  there  !"  hurriedly  and  loudly  shouted  the  man  on  thf;  look-out  at 
the  bows,  "  there's  a  tree-  lying  across  the  river,  and  we're  just  upon  it." 

While  he  yet  spoke,  and  before  the  boatswain  could  give  such  instructions 
as  the  emergency  requiredj  the  vessel  suddenly  struck  against  the  obstacle  in 
question  ;  but  the  concussion  was  not  of.  the  violent  nature  that  might  have 
been  anticipated.  The  course  of  the  s<;hooncr,,at  no  one  period  particularly 
rapid,  had  been  considerably  checked  since  her  entrance  into  the  gloomy  arch, 
in  the  centre  of  which  her  present  accident  had  occurred;  so  that  it  was 
without  immediate  injury  to  her  hull  and  spars  she  had  been  thus  suddenly 
broVight  to.  But  this  was  not  the  most  alarrtiing  part  of  the  affair.  Captain 
de  Haldimar  and  Sir  Everard  both  recollected,  that  in  making  the  same  pas- 
sage, not  forty-eight  hours  previously,  they  had  encountered  no  obstacle  of 
the  kind,  and  a  misgiving  of  danger  i-ose  simultaneously  to  the  hearts  of  each. 
It  was,  however,  a  thing  of  too  common  occurrence,  where  storm  and  tempest 
were  so  prevalent  and  partial,  to  create  more  than  a  mere  temporary  alarm ; 
for  it  was  quite  as  probable  the  barrier  had  been  interposed  by  some  fitful 
outburst  of  nature,  as  that  it  arose  from  design  on  the  part  of  their  enemies : 
and  when  the  vessel  had  continued  stationary  for  some  minutes,  without  the 
prepared  and  expectant  crew  discovering  the  slightest  indication  of  attack, 
the  former  impression  was  preserved  by  the  oflBcers — at  least  avowedly  to 
those  around. 

"  Bear  a  hand,jny  lads,  and  cut  away,"  at  length  ordered  the  boatswain. 
IB  a  low  but  clear  tone ;  "  half  a  dozen  at  each  end  of  the  stick,  and  we  shall 
soon  clear  a  passage  for  the  craft." 

A  dozen  sailors  grasped  their  axes,  and  hastened  forward  to  execute  the 
command.  They  sprang  lightly  from  the  entangled  bows  of  the  schooner,  and 
diverging  in  equal  numbers  moved  to  either  extremity  of  the  fallen  tree. 

*^  This  is  sailing  through  the  heart  of  the  American  forest  with  a  vengeance," 
muttered  Mullins,  whose  annoyance  at  their  detention  was  strongly  manifest- 


ed ■•  1 


$ 

if      V 
i- 


! 


I  > 


N' 


11 


d. 


Pit 

I 


w 


'     ► 


I.. 

I 

1  >  i- 


Ili 


'I*!'-     » 


158 


wacousta;    or,  the  PROPHSor. 


ST" 


f  1     .A 


dJBi 


ed  as  he  paced  tip  and  down  the  deck.  "  Shiver  my  topsails,  if  it  isn't  baa 
enough  to  clear  the  Sinclair  at  any  time,  much  more  so  when  one's  running  ' 
for  one's  life,  and  not  a  whisper's  length  from  one's  enemies.  'Do  you  know 
Captain,"  abruptly  checking  his  movement,  and  familiarly  placing  his  hand  on 
the  shoulder  of  De  Haldimar,  "  the  last  time  we  sailed  through  this  very 
reach  1  couldn't  help  telling  poor  Captain  Danvers,  God  rest  his  soul^  wlMit  a 
iiice  spot  it  was  for  an  Ingian  ambuscade,  if  they  had  only  gumption  en6ugh 
think  of  it." 

"  Hark !"  said  the  ofBcer,  whose  heart,  eye,  and  ear  were  painfully  on  tir^ 
alert  "  what  rustling  is  that  we  hear  overhead  ?" 

"  It's  Jack  Fuller,  no  doubt,  your  honor  j  I  sent  him  up  to  clear  away  the 
branches  from  the  main  topmast  rigging."  Then' raising  his  head,  and  ele- 
vating his  voice,  "  Hilloa !  aloft  there !" 

.  The  only  answer  was  a  groan,  followed  by  a  deeper  commotion  among  the 
rustling  foliage. 

"  Why,  what  the  devil's  the  matter^  with  you  now.  Jack  ?"  pursued  the 
boatswain,  in  a  voice  of  angry  vehemence.  "Are  ye  scared  at  another  ghost, 
that  3^e  keep  groaning  there  after  that  fashion  ?" 

At  that  moment  a  h^avy  dull  mass  was  heard  tumbling  through  the  upper 
rigging  o:''  *he  schooner  towards  the  deck,  and  presently  a  human  form  fell  at 
the  very  feet  of  the  small  group,  compcfed  of  the  two  officers  and  the  indivi- 
dual who  had  last  spoken.  , 

"  A  Jight,  a  light !"  shouted  the  boatswain ;  "  the  foolish  chap  has  lost  bis 
hold  through  fear,  and  ten  to  one  if  he  hasn't  cracked  his  skull^piece  for  his 
pains.    Quick  there  wi'th  a  light,  and  let's  see  what  we  can  do  for  him.'* 

The  attention  of  all  had  been  arrested  by  the  sound  of  the  falling  weight, 
and  as  one  of  the  sailors  now  advanced^  bearing  a  dark  lantern  from  below, 
the  whole  of  the  crew,  with  the  exception  of  those  employed  on  the  fallen  tree, 
^thiered  themselves  in  a  knot  round  the  motionless  form  of  the  prostrate  man. 
But  no  sooner  had  their  eyes  encountered  the  object  of  their  interest,  when 
each  individual  started  suddenly  and  involuntarily  back,  baring  his  cutlass, 
and  drawing  forth  his  pistol,  the  whole  presenting  a  group  of  countenances 
strongly  marked  oy  various  shades  of  consternation  and  alarm,  even  while 
their  attitudes  were  those  of  men  prepared  for  some  fierce  and  desperate 
danger.  It  was  indeed  Fxiller  whom  they  beheld,  but  not  laboring,  as  the 
boatswain  had  imagined,  under  the  mere  influence  of  superstitious  fear.  He 
was  dead,  and.the  blood  flowing  from  a  deep  wound,  inflicted  by  a  sharp  in- 
strument in  his  chest,  and  the  scalped  head,  too  plainly  told  the  manner  bf 
his  death,  and  the  danger  that  awaited  them  all. 

'  A"  pause  ensujed,  but  it  was  short.  Before  any  one  could  find  words  to  re- 
mark on  the  horrible  circumstances,  the  'appalling  war-cry  of  the  savages' 
burst  loudly  from  every  quarter  upon  the  ears  of  the  devoted  crew.  In  the 
desperation  of  the  moment,  several  of  the  men  clutched  their  cutlasses  be- 
tween their  teeth,  and  seizing  the  concealed  matches,  rushed  to  their  respec- 
tive stations  at  the  guns.  It  was  in  vain  the  boatswain  called  out  to  them,  in 
a  voice  of  stern  authority^  to  desist,  intimating  that  their  only  protection  my 
in  the  reseiTation  of  the  fire  of  their  batteries.  Goaded  knd  excited,  beyond 
the  power  of  resistance  to  an  impulse  that  set  all  subordination  at  defiance, 
they  applied  the  matches,  and  almost  at  the  same  instant  the  terrific  dis- 
charge Qf  both  broadsides  took  place,  rocking  the  vessel  to  the  water's  edge, 
and  reverberating,  throughout  the  confined  space  in  which  she  lay,  like  the 
deadly  explosion  of  soine  deeply  excavated  mine. 

Scarcely  had  the  guns  been  fired,  when  the  seamen  became  sensible  of  their 
imprudence.  The  echoc?  were  yet  struggling  to  force  a  passage  through  the 
dense  forest,  when  a  second  yell  of  the  Indians  announced  the  fiercest  joy  and 
triumph,  unmixed  by  disaster,  at  the  result;  and  then  the  quick  leaping  of 
many  forms  could  be  heard,  as  they  divided  the  crashing.-B'hderwood^  and 
rushed  forward  to  close  with  their  prey.    It  was  evident,  from  the  clifFerenc« 


X 


I . 


'WttiDtttA'tMMil 


ti:^ 


y 


m. 


acovsta;    or,  the   prophecy. 


1B9 


of  sotrad,  their  first  cry  had  been  pealed  forth  while  lying  prostrate  on  the 
pound,  and  secure.from  the  bullets,  whose  harmless  ascharge  that  cry  was 
intended  to  provoke ;  for  now  the  voices  seemed  to  rise  progressively  liom  the 
earth,  until  they  reached  the  level  of  each  individual  height,  and  were  already 
almost  hotly  breathing  in  the  ears  of  those  they  were  destined  to  fill  with  il- 
limitable dismay. 

"  Shiver  ray  topsails,  but  this  comes  of  disobeying  orders,"  roared  the  boat- 

•j     swain,  in  a  voice  of  mingled  anger  and  vexation.    "  The  Ingians  are  quite  as 

■  cunning  as  ourselves,  and  am't  to  be  frighted  that  way.    Quick,  CT?ery  cutlass 

and  pistol  to  his  gangway,  and  let's  do  our  feest.    Pass  the  word  forward  for 

Ihe  axemen  to  return  to  their  quarters."  , 

Recovered  from  their  first  paroxysm  of  alarm,  the  men  at  length  became 
sensible  of  the  presence  of  a  directing  power,  which,  humble  as  it  was,  their 
long  habits  of  discipline  had  taught  them  to  respect,  and,  headed  on  the  one 
jide  by  Captain  de  Haldimar,  and  on  the  other  by  Sir  Everard  Valletort, 
Aeither  of  whom,  howevcTj  entertained  the  most  remote  chance  of  success, 
flew,  as  comman  led,  to  their  resprctive  gangways.  The  yell  of  the  Indians 
had  ceased,  and  11  was  hushed  into  stillness ;  ^ut  as  the  anxious  and  quick- 
sighted  oflBcers  gazed  orer  the  bulwarks,  they  fancied  thcy  could  perceiTe,  even 
through  the  deep  gloori  that  every  where  prevailed,  the  forms  of  men,  resting 
in  cautious  and  eager  attitudes,  on  the  very  verge  of  the  banks,  .and  at  a  dis- 
tance of  little  mora  than  Ip.f  pistol  :':ot.  Kvery  heart  beat  with  expectancy 
— «very  eye  was  riveted  intently  in  ''-ont,  to  watch  and  meet  the  first  move^ 
ments  of  their  foes,  but  not  a  so;  n  of  approach  was  audible  to  the  equally 
attentive  ear.  In  this  state  of  .iching  suFf  ense  they  might  have  continue^ 
about  five  minutes,  when  .i,  'ienly  theii"  he.:  is  were  made  to  quail  by  a  third 
cry,  that  cauio.  not  as  jrevifisly,  from  the  banks  of  the  river,  but  from  the 
very  centre  of  their  own  decks,  and  from  the  tojninst  and  rigging  of  flie 
schooner.  So  suddden  and  unexpected  too  was  thii  i'  j  bh  danger,  that  before 
the  two  parties  had  time  to  turn,  and  assume  a  new  posture  of  defence,  seve- 
ral of  them  had  already  fallen  under  the  butchering  blades  of  their  enemies. 
Then  commenced  a  desperate  but  short  conflict,  mingled  with  yellings,  that 
again  were  answered  from  every  point ;  and  rapidly  gliding  down  the  pendant 
ropes,  were  to  be  seen  the  active  and  dusky  forms  of  men,  swelling  the  imm- 
ber  of  assailants,  who  had  gained  the  deck  in  the  same  noiseless  manner,  until 
resistance  became  almost  hopeless.  *  ^ 

"Hair  hear  the  footsteps  of  our  lads  at  last,"  exclaimed  Mullins  exult- 
ingly  to  his  comrodcSj  as  he  finished  despatching  a  third  savage  with  his 
sturdy  weonon.    "  Quick,  men,  quick,  tip  with  hatchet  and  cutlass,  and  take 

them  in  th'r  tvr r.    If  we  are  to  die,' let's  die "  game,  he  would  perhaps 

.  have  added,  j.  at  death  arrested  the  word  on  his  lips ;  and  his  corpse  rolled 
along  the  deck  until  its  further  progress  was  stopped  by  the  stiffened  body  of 
the  unhappy  Fuller. 

Not -vithstanding  the  fall  of  their  brave  leader,  and  the  wlioopings  of  their 
rnp  nies,  the  flagging  spirits  of  the  men  were  for  a  moment  excited  by  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  return  even  of  the  small  force  of  the  axemen,  and  they 
defended  themselves  with  a  courage  and  deterhiination  worthy  of  a  better 
result ;  but  when,  by  the  liuid  light  of  the  torches,  now  lying  burning  about 
the  decks,  they  turned  and  beheld  not  their  companions,  but  a  fresh  band  of 
Indians,  at  whose  pouch  belts  dangled  the  reeking  scalps  of  their  murdered 
friends,  they  at  once  relinquished  the  combat  as  hopeless,  and  gave  themselves 
unresitingly  to  be  bound  by  their  captOrs.        ^ 

.  Meanwhile  the  oousins  experienced  a  renewal  of  all  those  horrors  from 
which  their  distracted  minds  had  been  temporarily  relieved ;  and,  petrified 
\7ith  alami,  as  they  lay  in  ilie  solitary  berth  tlxat  containecl  them  both,  en- 
^Bfoed  sufierings  infinitely  more  terrible  than  death  itself.  The  early  part  of 
the  tumult  they  had  noticed  almost  without  comprehending  its  cause,  and  but 
foi  the  terrific  cry  of  the  Indians  that  had  preceded  them,  wQuld  have  miKtsk 


.  -5-. 


/•■:■! 


I'll 


m 


ii| 


r     ■     ;'i. 


160 


wacouita;  or,  the  prophecy. 


•M 


ken  the  deafening  broaJsides  for  the  blowing  up  of  Uie  vessel,  so  tremendoni 
and  violent  had  been  the  concussion.  Nay,  there  was  a  moment  when  Misi 
de  Ilaldimar  felt  a  pang  of  deep  disappointment  and  regret  at  the  misconcep> 
tion :  for,  with  the  fearful  recollection  of  past  events,  so  strongly  impressed  oa 
her  bleeding  heart,  she  could  not  but  acknowledge,  that  to  be  engulfed  in  one 
general  and  disastrous  explosion,  was  mercy  compared  with  the  alternative 
of  falling  into  the  hands  of  those  to  whom  her  loathing  sj)irit  had  been  too 
fiitally  taught  to  deny  even  the  commonest  attributes  of  humanity.  As  for 
Clara,  she  had  not  the  power  to  think,  or  to  form,  a  conjecture  on  the  subject: 
she  was  merely  sensible  of  a  repetition  of  the  horrible  scenes  from  which  sho 
had  so  recently  been  snatched,  and  with  a  pale  cheek,  a  fixed  eye,  and  an  al- 
most pulseless  heart.'lay  without  motion  in  the  inner  side  of  the  berth.  The 
Siteous  spectacle  of  her  cousin's  alarm  lent  a  forced  activity  to  the  dt^spair  of 
liss  de  Haldimar,  ip  whom  apprehension  produced  that  strong  energy  of 
excitement  that  sometimes  gives  to  helplessness  the  character  of  true  courage. 
With  the  increasing  clamor  of  appalling  conflicton  deck,  this  excitement  grew 
at  every  moment  stronger,  until  it  finally  became  irrepressible,  so  thfl,t  at 
length,  when  through  the  cabin  windows  there  suddenly  streamed  a  flood  of 
yellow  light,  extinguishing  that  of  the  lamp  that  threw  its  flickering  beams 
around  the  cabin,  she  flung  herself  impetuously  from  the  'berth,  andj  despite 
of  the  aged  and  trembling  female  who  attempted  to  detain  her,  burst  open 
the  narrow  entrance  to  the  cabin,  and  rushea  up  the  steps  communicating 
with  the  deck. 

The  picture  that  there  met  her  eyes  was  at  once  graphic  and  fearful  in  the 
extreme.  On  either  side  of  the  river,  lines  of  streaming  torches  were  waved 
by  dusky  warriors  high  above  their  heads,  reflecting  the  gr^n  countenances, 
not  only  of  those  who  bore  them,  but  of  dense  groups  in  their  rear,  whose 
nunibers  were  alone  concealed  bv  the  foliage  of  the  forest  in  which  they  stood. 
From  the  branches  that  wove  tnemselves  across  the  centre  of  the  river,  and 
the  topmast  and  rigging  of  the  vessel,  the  same  strong  yellow  light,  prouuced 
\xf  the  bark  of  the  birm  tree  steeped  in  gum,  streamed  down  upon  the  decks 
below,  rendering  each  line  and  block  of  the  schooner  as  distinctly  visible  as  if 
it  had  been  noon  on  the  sunniest  of  those  far  distant  lakes.  The  deck  itself 
was  covered  with  the  bodies  of  slain  men — sailors  and  savages  mixed  togeth- 
er ;  tind  amid  these  were  to  be  seen  fierce  warriors,  reclining  triumphantly 
and  indolently  on  their  rifles,  while  others  were  occupied  in  securing  the  arms 
of  their  captives  with  leathern  thongs  behind  their  backs.  The  silence  that 
now  prevailed  was  strongly  in  contrast  with,  and  oven  more  fearful  than,  the 
horrid  shouts  by  which  it  iiad  been  preceded;  and,  but  for  the  ghastly  coun- 
tenances of  the  captives,  and  the  quick  rolling  eyes  of  the  savages^  Miss  de 
Haldimar  might  hare  imagined  herself  the  sport  of  some  extraordmary  and 
exciting  illusion.  Her  glance  over  these  prominent  features  in  the  tragedy 
had  been  cursory,  yet  accurate*.  It  now  rested  on  one  that  had  more  imme> 
diate  and  terrifying  interest  for  herself.  At  a  few  paces  in  front  of  the  com- 
panion ladder,  and  witli  their  backs  turned  towards  her,  stood  two  individuals, 
whose  attitudes  denoted  the  purpose  of  men  resolved  to  sell  with  their  lives 
alone  a  passage  to  a  tall  fierce-looking  savage,  whoso  countenance  betrayed 
every  mark  of  triumphant  and  deadly  passion,  while  he  apparently  hesitated 
whether  his  uplifted  arm  should  stay  the  weiapon  it  wielded.  These  individ- 
uals were  Captain  de  Haldimar  and  Sir  Everard  Valletort ;  and  to  the  former 
of  these  the  attention  of  the  savage  was  more  immediatelv  and  exultingly 
directed ;  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  Miss  do  Haldimar  thought  dho  could  read 
in  the  fcojious  expression  of  his  features  the  death-warrant  of  her  cousin. 
In  the  wild  terror  of  the  moment  she  gave  a  piercing  scream  that  was  answer 
ed  by  a  hundred  yelling  voices,  and  rushing  between  her  lover  and  his  enem/ 
threw  herself  wildly  and  supplicatingly  at  the  feet  of  the  latter.  Uttering  ft 
savage  laugh,  the  monster  spurned  her  from  him  with  his  foot,  when,  quick 
as  thought,  a  pistol  was  discharged  within  a  few  incho^  of  his  lace }  but,  with 

••■■•••  .     's^»' 


WA00U8TA;  OR,  THE  FROPRBOT. 


161 


A  rapidity  equal  to  that  of  his  assailant,  he  hent  aside  his  head,  and  the  balL 
passed  harmlessly  on.    The  yell  that  followed  was  terrific ;  and  while  it  yrvT 
yet  swelling  into  fullness,  Captain  de  Haldimar  felt  an  iron  hand  fUrioosIy 
nappling  his  throat,  and,  ere  the  grasp  was  relinquished,  he  again  stood  tht 
bound  and  passive  victim  of  the  warrior  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis. 

-  '  Jj 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


,vU: 


y.'^; 
*!-: 


The  interval  that  succeeded  to  the  last  council  scene  of  the  Tndians  was 
Mssed  hy  the  ofSoers  of  Detroit  in  a  state  of  inexpressible  anxiety  and  doubt. 
The  fears  entertained  for  the  fate  of  their  companions,  who  had  set  out  in  the 
perilous  and  almost  forlorn  hope  of  reaching  Michillimackinac,  in  time  to  pre> 
vent  the  cou  summation  of  the  threatened  treachery,  had,  in  some  degree,  if 
not  wholly,  been  allayed  by  the  story  narrated  by  tne  Ottawa  chief.  It  was 
evident,  from  his  statement,  the  party  had  again  met,  and  been  engaged  in 
fearful  struggle  with  the  gigantic  warrior  they  had  all  so  much  reason  to  ro^ 
collect ;  and  it  was  equally  apparent,  that  in  that  struggle  they  had  been  suo* 
cessful.  But  still,  so  many  obstacles  were  likely  to  be  opposed  to  their 
navigation  a$  thtf  several  lakes  and  rivers  over  which  lay  their  course,  it  was 
almost  feared,  even  if  they  eventually  escaped  imharmed  themsoives,  they 
could  not  possibly  reach  the  fort  in  time  to  communicate  the  danger  that 
awaited  their  friends.  It  is  true,  the  time  gained  by  Governor  de  Haldimar 
on  the  first  occasion  had  affordea  a  considerable  interval,  of  which  advantage 
might  be  taken ;  but  it  was  also,  on  the  other  hand^  uncertain  whether  Poo- 
teac  had  commanded  the  same  delay  in  the  council  of  the  chie&  ihvesting 
Michillimackinac,  to  which  he  had  himself  assented.  Three  days  were  suffi- 
cient to  enable  an  Indian  warrior  to  perform  the  journey  by  lana ;  and  it  was 
chiefly  oa  this  vfgue  and  uncertain  ground  they  based  whatever  little  of  hope 
iras  entertained  on  the  subject. 

It  had  been  settled  at  the  departure  of  the  adventurers,  that  the  instant 
they  effected  a  communication  with  the  schooner  on  Lake  Huron,  Franfoia 
should  be  immediately  sent  back,  with  instructions  so  to  contrive  the  period 
of  ahis  return,  that  his  canoe  should  make  its  appearance  soon  after  daybreak 
ftt  the  nearest  extremitv  of  Hog  Island,  the  position  of  which  has  beetn  de- 
scribed in  a  previous  cnapter.  From  this  pomt  a  certain  signal,  that  could 
be  easily  distinguished  with  the  aid  of  a  telescope,  was  to  be  made  from 
the  canoe,  which,  without  being  of  a  nature  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
savages,  was  yet  to  be  such  as  could  not  well  bo  mistaken  by  the  garrison. 
This  was  a  precaution  adopted,  not  onl^  with  the  view  of  giving  the  earliest 
intimation  of  the  result  of  the  enterprise,  but  lest  the  Canadian  should  be 
prevented,  by  any  closer  investment  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  from  com- 
a)unicating  personally  with  the  fort  in  the  way  ho  had  been  accustomed. 

It  will  easily  be  comprehended,  therefore,  that  as  the  period  approached 
when  they  might  reasonably  look  for  the  return  of  Fran90is,  if  he  should  r^ 
turn  at  all,  the  nervous  anxiety  of  the  officers  became  more  and  more  devel- 
oped. Upwards  of  a  week  had  elapsed  since  the  departure  of  their  friends; 
and  already,  for  the  last  day  or  two,  their  impatience  had  led\hcm,  at  early 
dawn,  and  with  beating  hearts,  to  that  quarter  of  the  rampart  which  over- 
looked the  eastem  extremity  of  Hog  Island.  Hitherto,  however,  their  eager 
watehine  had  been  in  vain.  As  far  as  our  recollection  of  the  Canadian  tradi- 
tion of  uiis  story  serves  us,  it  must  have  been  on  the  fourth  night  after  the 
final  discomfitura  of  the  plans  of  Ponteao,  and  the  tenth  from  the  departure 
of  the  adventurers,  that  the  officers  were  assembled  In  the  mess-room,  partak- 
ing of  the  scauty  and  fhigal  supper  to  whiab  tlieir  long  oonflnement  had  re- 
doosd  them.    The  sutneei  «f  thsir  ooofHwaUon.  as  it  was  erer  of  thsk 


f 


I',  til 


» 

i 

[  , 

'1 

m 

w 


r<: 


162 


WAOaVSTA*,  OR,  THE  FROPBXOY. 


jLihoughts,  was  the  probable  fate  of  their  companions ;  and  many  and  varioai^ 
^although  all  equally  melancholy,  were  the  conjectures  offered  as  to  the  result 
There  was  on  the  countenance  of  each,  that  deep  and  fixed  expression  of 
']|    :  {[loom,  which,  if  it  did  not  indicate  any  unmanliness  of  despair,  told  at  least 

uiat  hope  was  nearly  extinct :  but  more  especially  was  this  remarkable  in 
the  young  but  sadly  altered  Charles  de  Haldimar,  who,  with  a  vacant  eye 
and  a  pre-occupied  manner,  seemed  wholly  abstracted  from  the  scene  before 
him. 

All  was  silence  in  the  body  of  the  fort.  The  men  off  duty  had  long  since 
retired  to  rest  in  their  clothes,  and  only  the  "  All's  welli"  of  the  sentinels 
was  heard  at  intervals  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  as  the  cry  echoed  from  mouth^ 
to  mouth  in  the  line  of  circuit.  Suddenly,  however,  between  two  of  those 
intervals,  and  during  a  pause  in  the  languid  conversation  of  the  officers,  the  sharp 
challenge  of  a  sentinel  was  heard,  and  then  quick  steps  on  the  rampart,  as  of 
men  hastening  to  the  point  whence  the  challenge  had  been  given.  The  officers, 
whom  this  new  excitement  seemed  to  arouse  into  fresh  activity,  hurriedly 

auitted  the  room ;  and  with  as  httle  noise  as  possible,  gained  the  spot  where 
lie  voice  had  been  heard.  Several  men  were  bending  eagerly  over  the  ram- 
part, and,  with  their  muskets  at  the  recover,  riveting  their  gaze  on  a  dark 
and  motionless  object  that  lay  on  the  veige  of  the  ditch  immediately  beneath 
them. 

"  What  have  you  here,  Mitchell  ?"  asked  Captain  Blessingtonj*who  was  in 
command  of  the  guard^  and  who  had  recognised  the  gruff  voice  of  the  veteran 
in  the  challenge  just  given. 

"  An  American  burnt  log,  your  honor,"  muttered  the  soldier,  "  if  one  waa 
to  judge  from  its  stillness ;  but  if  it  is,  it  must  have  been  rolled  there  within 
the  last  minute ;  for  Pll  take  my  affidavy  it  wasn't  there  when  I  passed  last 
in  mv  beat." 

"  An  American  burnt  log,  indeed !  it's  some  rascal  of  a  spy,  rather,"  re- 
marked Captain  Erskine.  *'  Who  knows  but  it  may  be  our  big  friend,  come 
to  pay  us  a  visit  again  ?  And  yet  he  is  not  half  long  enougU.for  him,  either. 
Oan't  you  try  and  tickle  him  with  the  bayonet,  any  of  you  follows,  and  see 
whether  he  is  made  of  flesh  and  blood  V* 

Although  this  obseivation  was  made  almost  without  object,  it  being  totallr 
impossible  for  any  musket,  even  with  the  addition  of  its  bayonet,  to  reach 
more  than  half  wav  across  the  ditcq^  the  several  sentinels  threw  tncmsoli^ 
on  thgir  chests,  and  stretching  over  the  ramparltas  far  as  possible,  made  the 
attempt  to  reach  the  suspicious  looking  object  that  lay  beyond.  No  sooner,' 
howeyer,  had  their  arms  been  extended  in  such  a  manner  as  to  bo  utterly 
powerless,  when  the  dark  mass  was  seen  to  ^oU  away  in  an  opposite  direction, 
and  with  such  rapidity  that,  before  the  men  could  regain  their  feet  and  level 
their  muskets,  it  had  entirely  disappeared  from  their  view. 

"  Cleverly  managed^  to  give  the  red  skin  his  due,"  half  laughingl;)r  observed 
Captain  Erskine,  while  his  brother  officers  continued  to  fix  their  eyes  in 
astonishment  on  the  spot  so  recently  occupied  by  th^  strange  object ;  "  bi^ 
what  the  devil  could  bo  his  motive  for  lying  there  si^long  ?  Not  playing  the 
ettves-droppor,  surely ;  and  yet,  if  he  meant  to  have  picked  off  a  sentinel,  what 
was  to  have  prevented  him  from  doing  it  sooner  ?"  ...:..  ;  »..^    ,..,,.,, 

"  He  had  evidently  no  arms."  said  Ensign  Delme.  s     »  -        ••      •      , 

"  lUfOj  nor  legs  cither,  it  would  appear,"  resumed  the  literal  Erskine.  "  Cune 
ne  if  1  ever  saw  anytiung  in  the  shape  of  a  human  form  bundled  together 
in  that  manner."  ' 

"I  mean  he  had  no  firo-arms — np  rifle,"  pursued  Delme. 

"  And  if  he  had,  he  certainly  k^uUI  have  rifled  one  of  us  of  a  life,"  con- 
tinued the  captain,  laughing  at  his  own  conceit.  '*  But  come,  the  bird  is  flown, 
and  we  have  only  to  thank  ourselves  for  having  been  so  egrcgiously  dupc4 
i  Vallctort  been  here,  he  would  have  given  a  different  account  of  him." 


Bad 


"  llist !  listen  1"  ozclauned  Lieotenant  Johnatone,  calling  the  attentioi^  ti 


X 


waoovsta;  or,  the  frophbuy. 


163 


I,   — 
,  come 


i. 


<» 


V 


file  part;  to  a  peculiar  and  low  sound  in  the  direction  in  which  the  supposed 
Indian  had  departed. 

It  \^as  repeated,  and  in  a  plaintive  tone,  indicating  a  dosire  to  propitiate. 
Soon  afterwards  a  human  form  was  seen  advancing  slowly,  but  without  show 
either  of  concealment  or  hostility  in  its  movements.  It  finally  remained 
;  stationary  on  the  spot  where  the  dark  and  shapeless  mass  had  been  first  per- 
ceived. 

'•Another  Oucanasta  for  De  Haldimar,  no  doubt,"  observed  Captain 
Brskine,  after  a  moment's  pause.  "  These  grenadiers  carry  everything  before 
them  as  well  in  love  as  in  war."  The  error  of  the  good-natured  officer  was, 
however,  obvious  to  all  but  himself.  The  figure,  which  was  now  distinctly 
traced  in  outline  for  that  of  a  warriorj  stood  boldly  and  fearlessly  on  the  brink 
of  the  ditfch,  holding  up  its  left  arm,  m  the  hand  of  which  dangled  something 
that  was  visible  in  the  ~  starlight,  and  pointing  energetically  to  this  pendant 
object  with  the  other.  A  voice  from  one  of  the  party  now  addressed  the 
Indian  in  two  several  dialects,  but  without  eliciting  a  reply.  He  cither  un- 
derstood not,  or  would  not  answer  the  question  proposed,  but  continued 
pointing  significantly  to  the  indistinct  object  which  he  still  held  in  an  elevated 
position. 

"  The  governor  must  bo  apprised  of  this,"  observed  Captain  Blessington  to 
De  Haldiyiar,  who  was  his  subaltern  of  the  guard.  "  Hasten,  Charles,  to  ac- 
quaint your  father^  and  receive  his  orders." 

The  young  oflBcer  willingly  obeyed  the  injunction  of  his  superior.  A  secret 
And  indefinable  hope  rushed  through  his  mind,  that  as  the  Indian  came  not  in 
hostility,  he  might  bo  the  bearer  of  some  communication  from  their  friends  | 
and  he  moved  rapidly  towards  that  part  of  the  building  occupied  by  his  father. 

The  light  of  a  lamp  suspended  over  the  piazza  leading  to  the  governor's 
rooms  reflecting  strongly  on  his  regimentals,  he  passed,  unchallenged  by  the 
sentinels  posted  there,  and  uninterruptedly  gained  a  door  that  opened*  on  a 
narrow  passage,  at  the  ftirther  extremity  of  which  was  the  sitting-room  usually 
occupied  by  his  parent.  This  again  was  entered  from  the  same  passage  by  a 
second  door,  the  upper  part  of  which  was  of  common  glass,  enabling  any  one 
on  the  outside  to  trace  with  facility  every  object  within  wneii  the  place  was 
lighted  up. 

A  glance  was  su£3cient  to  satisfy  the  youth  his  father  was  not  in  the  room ;  al- 
though there  was  strong  evidence  ho  had  not  retired  for  the  night.  In  the  middle 
of  the  floor  stood  an  oaken  table,  and  on  this  l^y  an  open  .writing  desk,  with  a 
eandle  on  each  side,  the  wicks  of  which  had  burnt  so  long  as  to  throw  a  partial 
gloom  over  the  surrounding  wainscotting.  Scattered  about  the  tttble  and  desk 
were  a  number  of  letters  that  had  apparently  been  just  looked  at  tor  read ;  and  in 
the  midst  of  these  an  open  case  of  red  morocco,  containing  a  miniature.  The 
appearance  of  these  letters,  thus  left  scattered  about  by  one  vnho  was  scrupu- 
lously exact  in  the  arrangement  of  his  papnrs,  added  to  the  circumstance  of 
the  neglected  and  burning  candles,  confirmed  tjje  young  officer  in  an  impres- 
sion that  his  father,  overcome  by  fatigue,  had  retired  into  his  bed-room,  and 
fallen  unconsciously  asleep.  Imagining,  therefore,  he  could  not,  without  diffi- 
culty, succeed  in  making  himself  hcara,  and  ^eeming  the  urgency  of  the  case 
required  it,  he  determined  to  wave  the  usual  ceremony  of  knocking,  and  pene- 
trate to  his  father's  bed-room  unannounced.  The  glass  door  being  without 
fiustening  within,  easily  yieldetl  to  his  presuro  of  the  latch ;  but  as  he  j)assed  by 
the  table,  a  strong  and  natural  feeling  of  curiosity  ind'oed  him  to  cast  his  eye 
upon  the  miniature.  To  his  infinite  surprise,  nayj  almost  terror,  ho  discovered 
it  was  that  of  his  mother — the  identical  portrait  which  his  sister  Clara  had 
worn  in  her  bosom  from  infancy,  and  which  ho  had  seen  clasped  round  her 
nock  on  the  very  deck  of  the  schooner  in  which  she  sailed  for  Michillimackinac. 
•  Ho  felt  there  could  bo  no  mistake,  for  only  one  miniature  of  the  sort  had  cvoi 
^  been  in  possession  of  the  family,  and  that  the  one  just  accounted  for.  Almost 
Itupificd  at  what  ho  saw,  and  scarcely  crediting  the  evidence  of  his  sensrs,  th« 


i 
f 


'■'W 

'M4 
m^'^ 


It* 


W;'*:, 


lis 


164 


waoovata;    qr,  the   prophbct. 


?.•>■ 


joung  o£Scer  glanced  his  eye  hurriedly  along  one  of  the  open  letters  that  laj 
around.  It  was  in  the  well  remembered  hand-writing  of  his  mother,  ajad  com- 
menced,  ^Dear,  dearest  Reginald^  iMler  this  followed  expressions  of  en- 
dearment no  woman  might  address  except  to  an  affianced  lover,  or  the  husbtuad 
of  her  choice ;  and  his  heart  sickened  while  he  read.  Scarcely,  however,  had 
he  scanned  half  a  dozen  lines,  when  it  occured  to  him  he  was  violating  some 
secret  of  his  parents ;  and  discontinuing  the  perusal  with  an  effort,  he  prepared 
to  quit  himself  of  his  mission. 

On  raising  his  eyes  from  the  paper  he  was  startled  by  the  appearance  of  his 
father,  who,  with  a  stern  brow  and  a  quivering  lip,  stood  a  few  paces  from  the 
table,  apparently  too  much  overcome  by  his  indif^ation  to  be  able  to  utter  a 
sentence.  Charles  de  .Haldimar  felt  all  the  awkwardness  of  his  position. 
Some  explanation  of  his  conduct,  however,  was  necessary;  and  he  stammered 
forth  the  fact  of  the  portrait  having  riveted  his  attention,  from  its  striking  re- 
semblance to  that  in  his  sister's  possession. 

"  And  to  what  do  these  letters  bear  resemblance  ?"  demanded  the  governor, 
in  a  voice  that  trembled  in  its  attempt  to  be  calm,  while  he  fixed  his  penetrat- 
mg  eye  on  that  of  his  son.  "  They^  it  appears,  were  equally  objects  of  attrac- 
tion with  you." 

"  The  letters  were  in  the  hand- writing  of  my  mother;  and  I  was  irresistibly 
led  to  glance  at  one  of  them,"  replied  the  youth,  with  the  humility  of  conscious 
wrong.  "  The  action  was  involuntarjr,  and  no  sooner  committed  than  repented 
of.  I  am  here,  my 'father,  on  a  mission  of  importance,  which  must  aliccount  for 
my  presence." 

"  A  enission  of  importance !"  repeated  the  governor,  with  more  of  sorrow 
than  of  anger  in  the  tone  in  which  he  now  spoke.  "  On  what  mission  are  you 
here,  if  it  be  not  to  intrude  unwarrantably  on  a  parent's  privacy?" 

Tne  young  oflScer's  cheek  flushed  high,  as  he  proudly  answered : — "  I  was 
■ent  by  Captain  BlQssington,  sir,  to  take  your  oraers  in  regard  to  an  Indian 
who  is  now  ^yithbut  the  fort  under  somewhat  extraordinary  circumstances, 
yet  evidently  without  intention  of  hostility.  It  is  supposed  he  bears  some  mes- 
sage from  my  brother."  > 

The  tone,  of  candor  and  offended  pride  in  which  this,  formal  announcement 
>f  duty  was  made  seemed  to  banish  all  suspicion  from  the  mind  of  the  govenor ; 
ind  he  remark^,  in  a  voice  that  had  more  of  the  kindness  that  had  latterly 
iistinguished  his  address  to  his  son,  "Was  this,  then,  Charles,  the  07i/y motive 
jbr  your  abrupt  intrusion  at  this  hour?  Are  you  sure  no  inducement  of  prir 
rate  curiosity  was  mixed  up  with  the  discharge  of  your  duty,  that  you  entered 
thus  unannounced  ?  You  must,  admit,  at  least,  I  found  you  employed  in  a 
manner  different  from  what  the  ur^ncy  of  vour  mission  would  seem  to  justifv." 

There  was  lurking  irony  in  this  speech ;  yet  the  softened  accents  of  his 
father,  in  some  measure,  disarmed  the  youth  of  the  bitterness  he.  would  have 
flung  into  his  observation, — "That  no  man  on  earth,  his  parent  excepted, 
should  have  dared  to  insinuate  such  a  doubt  with  impunitv." 

For  a  moment  Colonel  de  Haldimar  seemed  to  regard  nis  son  with  a  sur- 

Erised  but  satisfied  air,  as  if  he  had  not  expected  so  much  spirit,  in  one  whom 
e  had  been  accustomed  to  undervalue. 

"  I  believe-  you,  Charles,"  hq  at  length  observed  j  "  forgiv  the  justifiaWs 
doubt,  and  think  no  more  of  the  subject.  Yet,  one  word,"  as  the  youth  was 
preparing  to  depart;  "you  have  read  that  letter"  (and  he  pointed  to  that 
which  had  principally  arrested  the  attention  of  the  officer :)  what  impression 
has  it  given  you  of  your  mother  ?  Answer  me  sincerely.  My  name,"  and  his 
faint  smile  wore  something  of  the  character  of  triumph,  "is  not  Beginald,  you 
know." 

The  pallid  cheek  of  the  yonn^  man  flushed  at  this  question.  His  own  un- 
disguised impression  was,  that  his  mother  had  cherished  a  guilty  love  for  ano> 
thnr  than  her  husband.  He  felt  the  almost  impiety  of  such  a  belief^  but  h« 
oo'dd  rot  resist  the  onviction  that  forced  itself  on  his  mind ;  the  letter  in  her 


.'^  ■ 


r 


wacousta;    or,  the  prophecy 


166 


n 


himdwriting  spoke  for  itself;  and  though  the  idea  was  fulH)f  wretchedness, 
ho  was  unable  to  conquer  it.  Whatever  his  own  inference  might  be,  however, 
he  could  not  endure  the  thought  of  imparting  it  to  his  father:  he  therefore 
Answered  evasively. 

"  Doubtless  my  mother  had  some  ^ear  relative  of  the  name,  and  to  him  was 
this  letter  addressed ;  perhaps  a  brother,  or  an  uncle.  But  I  never  knew," 
he  pursued,  with  a  look  of  appeal  to  his  father,  "  that  a  second  portrait  of  my 
mother  existed.    This  is  the  very  counterpart  of  Clara's." 

"  It  may  be  the  same,"  rema  ked  the  governor,  but  in  a  tone  of  indecision, 
that  denied  his  faith  in  what  he  uttered. 

"Impossible,  my  father.  I  accompanied  Clara,  if  .you  recollect,  as  far  as 
Lake  Sinclair  j  and  when  I  quitted  the  deck  of  the  schooner  to  return,  I  par- 
ticularly remarked  my  sister  wore  her  mother's  portrait,  as  usual,  round  her 
neck." 

Well,  no  matter  about  the  portrait,"  hurriedly  rejoined  the  governor ;  "yet, 
whatever  your  impression,  Charles,"  and  he  spoke  with  a  warmth  that  was 
fir.from  habitual  to  him,  "dare  not  to  sully  the  memory  of  your  mother  by 
%  doubt  of  her  purity.  An  accident  has  given  this  letter  to  your  inspection, 
but  breathe  not  its  contents  to  a  human  creature ;  above  all,  respect  the  beinjr 
who  gave  you  birth.  Go,  tell  Captain  Blcssington  to  detain  the  Indian ;  i 
will  join  you  immediately." 

Strongly,  yet  confusedly,  impressed  with  the  singularity  of  the  scene  alto- 
gether, and  more  particularly  with  his  father's  strange  admonition,  the  young 
officer  quitted  the  room,  and  hastened  te  rejoin  his  companions.  On  reaching 
the  rampart  he  foirad  that  the  Indian,  dunng  his  long  absence,  had  depart 
ed  J  yet  not  without  depositing,  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  ditch,  the  substance 
to  which  he  had  previously  directed  their  attention.  At  the  moment  of  De 
Haldimar's  approach,  the  officers  were  bounding  over  the  rampart,  and,  with 
straining  eyes,  endeavoring  to  make  out  what  it  was,  but  in  vain  ;  something 
was  just  perceptible  in  the  withered  turf,  but  what  that  something  was  no  one 
oould  snoceed  m  discovering. 

"  Whatever  this  be,  we  must  possess  ourselves  of  it,"  said  Captain  Bles* 
ongton ;  "  it  is  evident,^  from  the  energetic  manner  of  him  ^^lo  left  it,  it  is  of 
importance.  I  think  I  know  who  is  the  best  swimmer  and  climber  of  oui 
party." 

Several  voices  unanimously  pronounced  the  name  of  "  Johnstone." 
■*  Anything  for  a  dash  of  enterprise,"  said  that  officer,  whose  slijrht  wound 
had  been  perfectly  healed.    "  But  what  do  you  propose  thftt  thet.w'immer  and 
dimber  should  do,  Blessington  ?" 
,  "  Secure  yon  parcel,  without  lowering  the  drawbridge." 

"  What !  and  be  scalped  in  the  act  7  Who  knows  if  it  be  not  a  trick  after 
■11,  and  that  the  rascal  who  placed  it  there  is  not  'ying  within  a  few  feet, 
ready  to  pounce  upon  me  the  instance  I  reach  tlic  bank." 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Erskino,  laughingly,  "  wo  will  revenge  your  death,  my 
boy." 

"  Besides,  consider  the  nunquam  non  paratua,  Johnstone,"  wily  remarked 
Lieutenant  Leslie. 

"  What,  again,  Leslie  ?"  energetically  responded  the  young  Scotsman,  "yet 
think  not  I  hesitate,  for  I  did  but  jest :  make  ^st  a  rope  round  ray  loins,  and 
I  think  I  will  answer  for  the  result." 

Colonel  do  Ilaldimar  now  made  his  appearance.  Ilavimj  heard  a  >  rief 
statement  of  the  facts,  and  approving  of  the  suggestion  of  Captain  Blessing- 
ton,  a  rope  was  procmed,  and  made  fast  under  the  shoulders  of  the  young 
officer,  who  had  previously  stripped  himself  of  his  uniform  and  shoes.  He 
then  BulFered  himself  to  drop  gently  over  the  edge  of  the  rampart,  his  com- 
panions gradoally  lowering  the  rope,  until  a  deep  and  gasping  aspiration,  such 
as  is  usually  wrung  ftom  one  comnig  suddenly  in  contact  with  cold  water, 
announced  he  had  gaiaisd  the  surface  of  the  ditch.    The  rope  was  then  slack. 


11 


■-ll 


•» 


'.:v-: 


.,/ 


166 


WAC0U8TA.;     OR,    THE    PROPHXOT. 


H' 

pi 

ii 

pi 

ft:i.|lj 

tii'l's,.^. 


encd,  to  give  him  the  unrestrained  command  cf  his  h'mbs ;  and  in  the  next  in- 
stant he  was  seen  clambering  up  the  opposite  elevation. 

Although  the  o£5cers,  ind^ging  in  a  forced  levity,  in  a  great  degree  meant 
to  encourage  their  companion,  had  treated  his  enterprise  with  itdifferenoe. 
they  were  for  frOm  being  without  serious  anxiety  for  the  result.  They  haa 
laughed  at  the  idea,  su^ested  by  him,*of  being  scalped ;  whereas,  in  truth, 
they  entertained  the  apprehension  far  more  powerfully  than  he  did  himself! 
The  artifices  resorted  to  by  the  savages,  to  secure  an  isolated  victim,  were  so 
mapy  and  so  various,  that  suspicion  could  not  but  attach  to  the  mysterious 
occurrence  thejr  had  just  witnessed.  "Willing  even  as  they  were  to  believe 
their  present  visiter,  whoever  he  was,  came  not  in  a  spirit  of  enmity,  thoy  could 
not  altogether  divest  themselves  of  a  fear  that  it  was  only  a  subtle  artifice  to 
decoy  one  of  them  within  the.  reach  of  their  traitorous  weapons.  They, 
therefore,  watched  the  movements  of  their  companion  with  quickening  pulses, 
and  it*was  with  a  lively  satisfaction  they  saw  him,  at  length,  af^er  a  momen- 
tary search,  descend  once  more  into  the  ditch,  and,  with  a  single  powerful  im- 
!)ulsion  of  nis  limb^,  arge  himself  back  to  the  foot  of  the  rampart.  Neither 
eet  nor  hands  were  of  much  service,  in  enabling  him  to  scale  the  smooth  and 
slanting  logs  that  composed  the  exterior  surface  of  the  works ;  but  a  slight 
jerk  of  the  well-secured  rope,  serving  as  a  signal  to  his  friends,  he  was  soon 
dragged  once  more  to  the  summit  of  the  rampart,  without  other  injury  than 
»  couple  of  slight  bruises. 

"  Well,  what  success  ?"  eagerly  asked  Leslie  and  Captain  Erskine,  in  the 
same  breath,  as  the  dripping  Johnstone  buried  hunself  in  the  folds  of  a  capa> 
dous  gloak  procured  during  his  absence. 

"  You  shall  hear,"  was  the  reply ;  "  but  first,  gentlemen,  allow  me,  if  yoa 
I)Iease,  to  enjoy,  with  yoiu'selves.  the  luxury  of  dry  clothes.  I  have  no  par- 
ticular aml^tion  to  contract  an  American  ague  fit  just  now ;  yet,  unless  yon 
take  pity  on  me,  and  reserve  my  examination  for  a  future  moment,  there  is 
every  probability  1  shall  not  have  a  tooth  left  by  to-morrow  morning."        ^a 

No  one  could  deny  the  justice  of  the  remark,  for  the  teeth  of  the  youne 
man  were  chattering  as  he  spoke.  It  was  not.  therefore,  until  after  he  had 
changed  his  dress,  and  swallowed  a  couple  or  glasses  of  Captain  Erskine'a 
never  failing  spirit,  that  they  all  repaired  once  more  to  the  mess-room,  when 
Johnstone  anticipated  all  questions,  by  the  production  of  the  mysteriona 
packet.  ('  A 

After  removing  several  wrappers  of  bark,  each  of  which  was  secured  by  <i 
thong  of  deer-$kin.  Colonel  de  Haldimar,  to  whom  the  successful  ofBcer  had 
handed  his  prize,  at  length  came  to  a  small  oval  case  of  red  morocco,  precise- 
ly similar,  in  size  and  form,  to  what  which  had  so  lately  attracted  the  notice 
m  his  son.  For  a  moment  he  hesitated,  and  his  cheek  was  observed  to  turn 
|iale.  and  his  hand  to  tremble ;  but  quickly  subduing  bis  indecision,  he  hur- 
riedly unfastened  the  clasp,  and  disclosed  to  the  astonished  view  of  the  officen 
the  portrait  of  a  young  and  lovely  woman,  habited  in  the  Highland  garb. 

Exclamations  of  various  kinds  burst  from  the  lips  of  the  group  of  ofBcera. 
Several  knew  it  to  bo  the  portrait  of  Mrs.  de  Haldimar ;  others  recognized  it 
from  the  striking  likeness  it  bore  to  Clara  and  to  Charles :  all  knew  it  had 
never  been  absent  from  the  possession  of  the  former  since  her  mother's  death  | 
and  feeling  satisfied  as  they  did  that  its  extraordinary  appcarnnce  among 
them,  at  the  present  moment^  was  an  announcement  of  some  dreadful  disaster, 
their  countenances  wore  an  impress  of  dismay  little  infbrior  to  that  of  the 
wretched  Charles,  who,  agonised  beyond  all  attempt  at  description,  had  thrown 
himself  into  a  scA  in  the  rear  of  the  group,  and  sat  like  one  bewildered,  with 
his  head  buried  in  his  hands.  \ 

"  Gentlemen."  at  length  observed  Colonel  de  Haldimar,  in  a  voice  that  pror- ' 
•d  how  vainly  nis  natural  emotion  was  sought  to  be  subdued  by  his  pride^ 
**  this,  I  fear  me,  is  an  unwelcome  token.    It  coxpes  to  announce  to  a  father 


.waooitsta;    ok,  the  prophxoy. 


167 


1    ' 


SO 

eve 


the  murder  of  his  child ;  to  us  all.  the  destruction  of  our  last  remaining  friends 
ftnd  comrades." 

"  Qod  forbid!"  solemnly  aspirated  Captain  Blessington.    After  a  pause  of 
A  moment  or  two  he  pursued :  "I  know  not  why,  sir;  but  my  impression  is 
the  appearance  of  this  portrait,  which  we  all  recognise  for  that  worn  by  Miss 
de  Haldimar,  bears  another  interpretation." 
^  Colonel  de  Haldimar  shook  his  head.    "  I  have  but  too  much  reason  to  be- 

lieve,"  he  observed,  smiling  in  mournful  bitterness,  "it  has  been  conveyed  to 
us  not  in  mercy  but  in  revenge." 

No  one  ventured  to  question  why ;  for  notwithstanding  all  were  aware  that, 
in  the  mysterious  ravisher  of  the  wife  of  Halloway,  Colonel  de  Haldimar  had 
a  fierce  and  inexorable  private  enemy,  no  allusion  had  ever  been  made  by  that 
officer  himself  to  the  subject. 

"  Will  you  permit  me  to  examine  the  portrait  and  envelopes,  colonel  ?"  re- 
sumed Captain  Blessington:  "I  feel  almost  confident,  although  I  confess  I 
have  no  other  motive  for  it  than  what  springs  from  a  recbllection  of  the  man- 
ner of  the  Indian,  that  the  result  will  bear  me  out  in  my  belief  the  bearer 
'came  not.in  hostility  but  in  friendship." 
'  .  "By  my  faith,  I  quite  agree  with  Blessington," said  Captain  Erskine ;  " for. 
in  addition  to  the  manner  of  the  Indian,  there  is  another  evidence  in  favor  oi 
his  position.  Was  it  merely  intended  in  the  light  in  which  you  consider  it, 
colonel,  the  6ase  or  the  miqiattire  itself  might  have  been  returned,  but  certain- 
ly not  the  metal  in  which  it  is  set.  The  savages  are  fully  aware  of  the  vidua 
of  gold,  and  would  not  so  easily  let  it  slip  through  their  fingers." 

Meanwhile,  Captain  Blessington  had  turned  and  examined  the  miniature  in 
fifty  different  ways,  but  without  succeeding  in  discovering  any  thing  that 
cbmd  confirm  him  in  his  original  impression.  Vexed  and  disappointed,  he  at 
length  fiung  it  from  him  oiAthe  taV  3,  and  sinking  into  a  seat  at  the  side  of 
the  unfortunate  Charles,  pressed  tV  i  hand  of  the  youth  in  significant  silence. 

Finding  his  worst  fears  now  confirmed.  Colonel  de  Haldimar,  for  the  first 
time,  cast  a  glance  towards  his  son,  whose  drooping  head,  and  sorrowine 
.^^attitudc,  spoke  volumes  to  his  heart.    For  a  moment  his  own  cheek  blanche^ 
Vjfamd  his  eye  was  seen  to  glisten  with  the  first  tear  ever  witnessed  tht^re  by 
iT  those  luround  him.    Subduing  his  emotion,  however,  he  drew  up  his  person 
to  its  lordly  height,  as  if  that  act  reminded  him  the  commander  was  flot  to  bo 
'  lost  in  the  father,  and  quitting  the  room  with  a  heavy  brow  and  step,  recom- 
mended to^liis  officers  the  repose  of  which  they  appeared  to  stand  so  much  in 
need.    BQllnot.one  was  there  who  felt  inclined  to  court  the  solitude  of  his 
iriilow.    No  sooi^r  ^ere  the  footsteps  of  the  governor  heard  dying  away  in 
the  distance,  wnSi  fresh,  lights  were  ordered,  and  several  logs  of  wood  headed 
on  the  slackening  fire.    Around  this  the  officers  now  grouped,  and  throwing 
themselves  back  in  their  chairs,  assumed  the  attitudes  of  men  seeking  to  in- 
didge  rather  in  priy^te  refiection  than  in  personal  converse. 

Tne  grief  of  the  wretched  Charles  de  Haldimar,  hitherto  restrained  by  tho 
presence  of  his  father,  and  encouraged  by  the  touching  evidences  of  interest 
afforded  him  by  the  ever  considerate  Blessington,  now  burst .  forth  audibly. 
No  attempt  was  made  by  the  latter  officer  to  check  the  emotion  of  his  young 
flriend.  Knowing  his  passionate  fondness  for  his  sister,  he  was  not  without 
fear  that  the  sudden  shock  produced  by  tue  appearance  of  her  miniature 
might  destroy  his  reason,  even  if  it  affected  not  his  life ;  and  as  the  moment 
was  now  come  when  tears  might  be  shed  without  exciting  invidious  remark  in 
tho  only  individual  who  was  likely  to  make  it,  ho  sought  to  promote  them  as 
much  as  possible.  Too  much  occupied  in  their  Own  mournful  rellcctions  tb 
bestow  more  than  a  passing  notice  on  the  weakness  of  their  friend,  the  group 
round  the  fire-place  scarcely  "Seemed  to  have  regarded  his  emotion. 

This  violent  paroxysm  past,  Do  Ilaldimar  breathed  more  freely  j  arifl,  aftflV 

tening  to  several  earnest  observations  of  Captain  Blessington,  who  still 

Id  out  the  possibility  of  something  favorable  turning  up,  on  a  re-examinatioa 


■I ,' 


I  'I 


^ 


41  :■ 


* 


\d 


» j  ■ 
It 


pi: 


Mm 


y;i   ;::■■ 


m'- 


m^ 


168 


waoovsta;    ok,  tbb   pkophsot. 


of  the  portrait  by  daylight,  he  was  so  far  composed  as  to  be  able  to  attend  M»' 
the  summons  of  the  sergeant  of  the  guard,  who  came  to  say  the  relief  wero 
rtady^  and  waiting  to  be  inspected  before  they  were  finally  marched  oSi 
Olaspmg  the  extended  hand  of  his  captain  between  his  own,  with  a  pressure' 
indicative  of  his  deej)  gratitude,  De  Haldimar  now  jproceeded  to  the  discharge 
of  his  dutyj  and  having  caught  up  the  portrait,  which  still  lay  on  the  table, 
and  thrust  it  into  the  breast  of  his  uniform^  he  repaired  hiurriedly  to  rejoin 
his  guard,  from  which  circumstances  alone '  nad  induced  his  unusually  lonft 
'absence.  . 

..^.-V^    ^•^■^.-^■•;.•>  '  '  CHAPTER  XXV.  -'',i'^:,t.-.-^^^^^^^ 

-  The  remainder  of  that  n%ht  was  passed  by  the  unhappy  De  Haldimar  in  ft 
state  of  indescribable  wretchednei^. .  Aft^  inspecting  the  relief  he  had  thrown 
himself  on  his  rude  guard-bed ;  and^  drawing  his  cloak  over  his  eyes,  gaTt 
tail  rein  to  the  wandering  of  his  ezCited  imagmatiom 

Miserable  as  he  felt  his  position  to  be,  it  was  not  without  satisfaction  ha 
again  heard  the  voice  of  his  sergeant  summoning  him  to  the  inspection  of 
another  relie£  This  duty  performed,  and  anxious  to  avoid  the  paining  pre- 
sence of  his  servant,  he  det^mined, instead  of  returning  to  his  guturd-room,  tO' 
consiftno  the  hour  that  remamed  before  day  in  pacing  uie  ramparts.  Leaniw, 
word  with  his  subordinate,  that  in  the  event  of  his  being  required,  he  mignt 
be. found  ynthout  difBculty,  he  ascended  to  that  quarter  of  the  works  whert 
the  Indian  had  been  first  seen  who  had  so  mysteriously  conveyed  the  sad  token 
he  still  retained  in  his  breast.  It  was  on  we  BB^stifi  side  with  that  particular 
point  whence  we  have  already  stated  a  full  view  of  the  bridge  with  its  9iu> 
rounding  scenery,  together  with  the  waters  of  the  Detroit,  where  they  were 
intersected  by  Hog  Island,  were  distinctly  commanded.  At  either  of.  thoso 
points  \||s  st&tioiMd  a  sentinel,  whose  duty  it  was  to  extend  his  beat  between 
the  boxes  used  now  rather  as  Unes  of  demarcation  than  as  places  of  temporary 
shelter,  tmtil  each  gained  that  of  his  next  comrade,  when  they  again  returned 
to  their  #wn,  crossing  each  other  about  half  way:  a  system  of  precaution  pw^ 
sued  by  the  whole  of  the  sentinels  in  the  circuit  of  the  rampart.  ^  ^     ^  ■'^ 

The  ostensible  motive  of  the  o£Qcer  in  asoendine  the  works,  was  to  visit  his 
several  posts ;  but  no  sooner  had  he  found  himself  between  the  poipB  aUuded 
to,  which  happened  to  be  the  first  in.his  course,  than  he  seen^  0  be  riTeted 
there  b^  a  species  of  fascination.  '^ 

Reminded,  for  the  first  time,  as  he  was  pursuing  his  measured  but  umless 
walk,  by  ihe  fatal  portrait  which  he  more  than  once  pressed  with  feverish 
energy  to  hi.^  lips,  of  the  singular  discovery  he  had  made  that  night  in  tho 
apartments  of  his  father,  he  was  naturally  led,  bv  a  chain  of  consecutive  thought 
into  a  review  of  the  extraordinary  scene.  The  fact  of  the  existence  of  a  secona 
likeness  of  his  mother  was  one  that  did  not  now  fail  tb  re-awaken  all  the  iin- 
quahfied  surprise  ha  had  experienced  at  the  first  discovery.  So  far  from  haT> 
rag  ever  heard  his  father  make  the  slightest  allusion  to  this  memorial  (^  hifl. 
departed  mother,  he  perfectly  recollected  liis  repeatedly  recommending  to  Clara 
ttie  safe  custody  of  a  treasure,  which,  if  lost,  could  never  be  replaced.  ^  What 
oould.be  the  motive  for  this  mystery?— and  why  had  he  sought  to  impress 
him  with  the  belief  it  was  the  identical  portrait  vomby  his  sister  which  h«^d 
10  unintentionally  been  exposed  to  his  view 't  Why,  too,  had  he  evinced  so 
much  anxiety  to  remove  from  his  mind  all  unfavorable  impressions  in  regard 
to  his  mother  1  Why  have  been  so  energetic  in  his  caution  not  to  suner  a 
toint  of  impurity  to  attach  to  her  memory"?  Why  should  he  have  supposed 
the  possibility  of  such  impression,  unless  there  had  been  sufBcient  cause  for 
kt  In  what,  moreover,  originated  his  triumphant  expression  of  feature,  wb^^ 


wacovsta;  or,  the  prophecy. 


169 


■.'■"^■ISif? 


on  that  occasion,  he  reminded  him  that  "Hm  name  was  not  Reginald  ?  Who, 
then,  was  this  Reginald  ?  Then  came  the  recollection  of  what  had  hcen  r»« 
peated  to  him  of  Uie.  parting  scene  between  Halloway  and  his  wife.  In  ad- 
dressing her  ill-fated  husband,  she  had  named  him  Reginald.  Could  it  be  pos- 
sible this  was  the  same  being  alluded  to  by  his  father  ?  But  no  i  his  youth 
forbade  the  supposition,  being  but  two  years  older  than  his  brother  Frederick ; 
yet  might  he  not,  in  some  way  or  other,  be  connected  with  the  Reginald  of 
the  letter  7  Why,  too,  had  his  father  shown  such  unrelenting  severity  which 
had  induced  more  than  one  remark  from  his  ofBcers,  that  it  looked  as  if  he  en- 
tertained some  personal  feeling  of  enmity  towards  a  man  who  had  done  so 
much  fo^  his  family,  and  stood  so  high  in  the  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him. 

Then  came  another  thought.  At  the  moment  of  his  execution,  Halloway 
had  deposited  a  packet  in  the  hands  of  Captain  Blessington ; — could  these  let- 
ters— could  that  portrait  be  the  same  ?  Certain  it  was,  by  whateyor  means 
obtained,  his  father  could  not  have  had  them  long  in  his  possession;  for  it  was 
improbable  letters  of  so  old  a  date  should  have  occupied  his  attention  wno^ 
when  many  years  had  rolled  over  the  memory  of  his  mother.  And  then, 
again,  what  was  the  meaning  of  the  languag|e  used  by  the  implacable  enemy 
•f  his  lather,  that  uncouth  and  ferocious  warrior  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis,  not  only 
on  the  occasion  of.  the  execution  of  Halloway,  but  afterwards  to  his  brother, 
during  his  short  captivity ;  and  subsequently,  when  disguised  as  a  black,  he 
penetnited,  with  the  band  of  Ponteac,  into  the  fort,  and  aimed  his  murderous 
weapon  at  his  father's  head.  What  kad  made  him  the  enemy  ^i  his  family  ? 
and  where  and  how  had  originated  his  father's  connection  with  so  extraordi- 
nary and  savage  a  being'?  Could  he,  in  any  way,  be  implicated  with  his  mother? 
But  no;  there  was  something  revolting,  monstrous  in  the  thought:  b^sidesL 
had  not  his  father  stood  forward  the  champion  of  her  innocence  ? — had  he  not 
declared,  with  an  energy  carrying  conviction  with  every  word,  that  she  was 
untainted  by  guilt?  And  would  he  have  done  this,  had  he  had  reason  to  b^* 
lieye  in  the  existence  of  a  "criminal  love  for  him  who  evidently  was  his  mortal 
fi)e?    Impossible. 

Such  were  the  questions  and  solutions  that  crowded  on  and  distracted  the 
mind  of  the  unhappy  De  Haldimar,  who  after  all,  could  arrive  at  no  satisfac- 
tory conclusion.  It  was  evident  there  was  a  secret, — ^yet,  whatever  its  nature,' 
it  was  one  likely  to  go  down  with  his  father  to  the  grave;  for,  however  hu- 
miliating the  reflection  to  a  haughty  parent,  compelled  to  vindicate  the  honor 
of  a  mother  to  her  son,  and  in  direct  opposition  to  evidence  that  scarcely  bore 
a  shadow  of  misinterpretation,  it  was  clear  he  had  motives  for  consigning  the 
circumstance  to  oblivion^  whicn  far  outweighed  any  necessity  he  felt  of  adduc- 
ing other  proofs  of  her  mnocence  than  those  which  rested  on  his  own  simple 
yet  impressive  assertion. 

In  the  midst  of  these  bewildering  doubts,  De  Haldimar  heard  some  one  ap- 
proaching iu  his  rear,  whose  footsteps  he  distinguished  from  the  heavy  pace  of 
the  sentinels.  He  turned,  stopped,,  and  was  presently  joined  by  Captain 
Blessington. 

"  Why,  dearest  Charles,"  almost  querulously  asked  the  kind  oflBcer,  as  ho 
passed  his  arm  through  that  of  his  subaltern, — '*  why  will  you  persist  in  feed 
ing  this  love  of  solitude  ?  What  possible  result  can  it  produce,  but  an  utter 
pro^ration  of  every  moral  and  physical  energy  1  Come,  come,  summon  a  little 
fortitude ;  all  may  not  yet  be  so  hopeless  ^  you  apprehena.  For  my  owii 
part,  I  feel  convinced  the  day  will  dawn  upon  some  satisfactory  solution  of  the 
mystery  of  that  packet." 

"  Blessington,  my  dear  Blessington  I" — and  De  Haldimar  spoke  with  moum- 
(Ul  energy, — "  you  have  known  me  firom  my  boyhood,  and,  I  believe,  have 
eter  loved  me ;  seek  not,  therefore,  to  draw  me  from  the  present  temper  of 
my  mind ;  deprive  me  not  of  ao  indulgence  which,  melancholy  as  it  w,  ""^ 
VHMtitutes  the  sole  satis&ctiod  I  take  m  existence." 


now 


■\. 


:a 


W:-    i  I 


■"  /' 


/ 


no 


wac^ousta;    or,  thb   prophsot. 


isg^ 


it  i '' 


i  ,y: 


11:.    ,- 


mm 


^r. 


"  By  heaven !  Charles,  I  will  not  listen  to  sucll  tangoage.  You  absolutelj 
put  my  patienco  to  the  fack." 

"  Nay,  then,  I  will  urge  no  more,"  pursued  the  young  officer.  "  To  rererl 
therefore,  to  a  different  sifbject,  answer  ine  one  question  with  sincerity.  What 
were  the  contents  of  the  packet  you  received  from  poor  Halloway  previous  to 
his  execution  ?  and  in  whose  possession  are  they  now  ?" 

Pleased  to  find  the  attention  of  his  young  friend  diverted  for  the  moment 
from  his  sister.  Captain  Blessington  quickly  rejoined,  he  believed  the  packet 
contained  letters  which  Ualloway  had  stated  to  him  were  of  a  nature  to 
throw  some  light  on  his  family  connections.  He  had,  however,  transferred  it 
with  the  seal  imbroken,  as  desired  by  the  unhappy  man,  to  Colpnel  de  Hal- 


)} 


mar. 

An  exclamation  of  surprise  burst  involuntarily  from  the  lips  of  the  youth. 
"  Has  my  father  ever  made  any  allusion  to  that  packet  since  ?"  ho  asked. 
.,,.  "  Never,"  returned  Captain  Blessington  j  "  and,  I  confess,  his  failing  to  do 
fio  has  often  excited  my  astonishment.    But  why  do  you  ask  V\ 

De  Haldimar  energetically  pressed  the  arm  of  his  captain,  while  a  heavy 
sigh  burst  from  his  oppressed  heart.  ^'  This  very  night,  Blessington,  on  em 
tering  ^my  father's  apai'tment  to  apprise  him  of  what  was  going  on  here,  I 
saw, — I  can  s<3arcely  tell  you  what,  but  certainly  enough  to  convince  me,  from 
whict  you  have  now  stated,  Halloway  was,  in  some  degree  or  other,  connected 
with  our  family.  Tell  me,"  he  anxiously  pursued,  "  was  there  a  portrait  en- 
closed with  the  letters  ?" 

"  I  cannot  state  with  confidence,  Charles,"  replied  his  friend  j  "  ont  if  I 
might  judge  from  the  peculiar  form  and  weight  of  the  packet,  I  sh«ixld  be  in- 
clined to  say  not.    Have  you  seen  the  letters,  then  ?" 

"  I  have  seen  certain  letters  which  I  have  reason  to  believe  are  the  same,** 
returned  De  Haldimar.  "  They  were  addressed  to  '  Reginald  i'  and  Hallo- 
way, I  think  you  liave  told  me,  was  so  called  by  his  unhappy  wife." 

''There  can  be  little  doubt  they  are  the  same,"  said  Captain  Blessington; 
'but  what  were  their  contents,  and  by  Whom  written,  that  you  deem  they 
prove  a  connection  between  the  unhappy  soldier  and  your  family  V* 

De  Haldimar  felt  the  blood  rise  into  his  cheek  at  that  natural  butunez-'f 
pected  demand.    "I  am  sure,  Blessington,"  he  replied,  after  a  paus\  "you 
;:^|  ,ij^;k     qj.       will  not  think  mo  capable  of  unworthy  mystery  towards  yourself;  but  the' 
fe  >t  I  contents  of  these  letters  are  sacred,  inasmuch  as  they  relate  only  to  circum- 

''  stances  connected  with  my  father's  family." 

They  soon  both  prepared  to  quit  the  rampart.  As  they  passed  the  sentinel 
stationed  at  that  point  where  the  Indian  had  been  first  seen,  their  attention 
was  directed  by  him  to  a  fire  thai:  now  suddenly  rose,  apparently  at  a  great 
distance,  and  rapidly  increasing  in  volume.  The  singularity  of  this  occurrence 
riveted  nie  officers  for  a  moment  in  silent  observation;  until' Captain  Bless- 
ington at  length  ventured  a  remark^  that,  judging  from  the  direction  and  the  '■ 
deceptive  nature  of  the  element  at  night,  ne  should  incUne  to  think  it  was  the 
hut  of  the  Canadian  burning. 

"  Which  is  another  additional  proof,  were  any  such  wanting,  that  every 
thing  is  lost,"  moinnfully  m-ged  the  ever  apprehensive  De  Haldimar.    "  Fran- 
cois has  been  detected  in  rendering  aid  to  our  friends;  and  the  Indians,  in  all  * 
probability,  after  having  immolated  their  victim,*  are  sacrificing  his  property 
to  their  rage." 

During  this  exchange  of  opinion,  tbe  oflicers  had  again  moved  to  the  oppo- 
site point  of  the  limited  walk  of  the  younger.    Scarcely  had  they  reached  it,  ' 
and  before  Captain  Blessington  could  find  time  to  reply  to  the  fears  of  his 
friend,  when  a  loud  and  distant  booming  like  that  of  a  jcannon  was  heard  in  ' 
the  direction  of  the  fire.    The  alarm  was  given  hastily  by  the  sentinels  and  ^ 
sounds  of  preparation  and  arming  were  audible  in  the  course  of  a  minute  or  ' 
two  everywhere  throughout  the  fort.    Startled  by  the  report,  which  .they  had 
faalf  inclined  to  imagine  produced  by  the  discharge  of  one  of  their  own  guiu^  ' 


,» 


wacovsta;  or,  the  prophecy. 


171 


the  half-s^;Umberiiig  officers  had  quitted  the  chairs  in  which  they  had  passed 
th6  night  in  the  raess-roomj  and  were  soon  at  the  side  of  their  more  watchful 
companions,  then  auxiously  listening  for  a  repetition  of  the  sound. 

The  day  was  just  beginning  to  dawn,  and  as  the  atmosphere  cleared  gradu- 
ally away,  it  was  perceived  the  fire  rose  not  from  the  hut  of  the  Canadian, 
but  at  a  point  considerably  beyond  it.  Unusual  as  it  was  to  see  a  large  fixe 
of  this  description,  its  appearance  became -an  object  of  minor  consideration, 
since  it  might  be  attributed  to  some  caprice  or  desire  on  the  part  of  the  In- 
dians to  excite  apprehension  in  their  enemies.  But  how  was  the  report  which 
had  reached  their  ears  to  be  accounted  for  1  It  evidently  could  only  have 
been  produced  by  the  discharge  of  a  cannon ;  and  if  so,  where  coiUd  tho 
Indians  have  procured  it  1  No  such  arm  had  recently  been  in  their  posses* 
sion;  and  if  it  were,  they  were  totally  unacquainted  with  the  manner  of  serv- 
ing it. 

As  tho  day  became  more  developed,  the  mystery  was  resolved.  J)very 
telescope  in  the  fort  had  been  called  into  requisition  j  and  as  they  were  now 
levelled  in  the  direction  of  the  fire,  sweeping  the  line  of  horizon,  around,  Ex- 
clamations of  surprise  escaped  the  lips  of  several. 

"It  is  an  Unusual  hour  for  the  Indians'  war-dance,"  observed  Captain 
Blessington,  "  My  experience  furnishes  me  with  no  one  instance  in  which  it 
has  not  been  danced  previous  to  their  retiring  to  rest." 

"  Unless,"  said  Lieutenant  Boyce,  "  they  should  have  been  thus  engaged  all 
night ;  in  which  case  the  singularity  may  be  explained." 

"  Look,  look,"  eagerly  remarked  Lieutenant  Johnstone — \'  see  how  they  are 
flying  to  their  canoes,  bounding  and  leaping  like  so  many  devils  broke  loose 
from  their  chains.    The  fire  is  nearly  deserted  already." 

*The  schooner — the  schooner!"  shouted  Captain  Erskine.  By  heavdn, 
our  own  gallant  schooner !  see  how  beautifully  she  drives  past  the  island. 
[t  was  her  gun  we  heard,  intended  as  a  signal  to  prepare  us  for  her  appear- 
ance." 

"  A  thrill  of  wild  and  indescribable  emotion  passed  through  every  heart. 
Every  ey*  was  turned  upon  the  point  to  which  attention  was  now  directed. 
The  gracefiil  vessel,  with  every  stitch  of  canvass  set,  was  shooting  rapidly 
past  the  low  bushes  skirting  the  sands  that  still  concealed  her  hull ;  and  in  a 
moment  or  two  she  loomed  largely  and  proudly  on  the  bosom  ofj^he  Detroit, 
^e  surface  of  which  was  slightly  curled  with  a  north-western  breeze. 

"  Safe,  by  Jupiter  t"  exclaimed  the  delighted  Erskine,  dropping  the  glass 
apcu  the  rampart,  and  rubbmg  his  hands  together  with  every  manifcstatibn 
o^joy. 

"  The  Indians  are  in  diase,"  said  Lieutenant  Boyce  j  "  upwards  of  fifty  ca- 
noes are  following  the  schooner's  wake.  But  Danvers  will  soon  give  us  an 
account  of  their  Lilliputian  fleet." 

"  Let  the  troops  be  held  in  readiness  for  a  sortie,  Mr.  Lawson,"  said  the 
eovemor,  who  had  joined  his  officers  just  as  the  'schooner  cleared  the  island ; 
"we  must  cover  their  landing,  or,  with  this  host  of  savages  in  pursuit,  they 
will  never  efiect  it  alive." 

During  the  whole  of  this  brief  but  exciting  scene,  the  heart  of  Charles  do 
Haldimar  beat  audibly.  A  thousand  hopes  and  fears  rushed  confusedly  on  his 
mind,  and  he  was  as  one  bewildered  by,  and  scarcely  crediting,  what  he  saw. 
Oould  Clara,— <X)uld  his  cousin— could  his  brother — could  his  friend  be  on 
board  ?  He  scarcely  dared  to  ask  himself  these  questions  }  still  it  was  with  a 
fluttering  heart,  in  which  hope,  however,  predominated,  that  he  hastewsd  to 
execute  an  order  of  his  captain,  that  bore  immediate  reference  to  his  duty  ai 
mbaltem  of  tho  guard. 


^^■^IKI''' 

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VACOUiTA;     OR.    T^K     7K0FHB0T. 


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■  ^f'i 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


Ms  AN  WHILE  the  schooner  dashed  japidlj  along,  her  hull  occasionally  hid 
from  the  view  of  those  assembled  on  the  ramparts  by  some  intervening  orchard 
or  cluster  of  houses,  but  her  tall  spars  glittering  in  their  cover  of  white  can* 
rass,  and  marking  the  direction  of  her  course.  At  length  she  came  to  a  point 
in  the  river  that  offered  no  other  interruption  to  the  eye  than  what  arose 
from  the  presence  of  almost  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  village,  who,  urged  by 
curiosity  and  surprise,  were  to  be  seen  crowding  the  intervening  bank.  Hero 
the  schooner  was  suddenly  put  about,  and  the  English  colors,  hitherto  con* 
cealed  by  the  folds  of  the  canvass,  were  at  length  d^overed  proudly  floating 
in  the  breeze. 

Imtocdiately  over  the  gateway  of  the  fort  there  was  an  elevated  platform, 
approached  by  the  rampart  of  which  it  formed  a  part,  by  some  half  dozen 
rude  steps  on  either  side  ;  and  on  this  platform  was  placed  a  long  eighteen 
pounder,  that  conmianded  the  whole  extent  of  road  leading  fVom  the  draw- 
bridge to  the  river.  Hither  the  officers  had  all  repaired,  while  the  schooner 
was  in  the  act  of  passing  the  town ;  and  now  that,  suddenly  brought  up  in 
the  wind's  eye,  she  rode  leisurely  in  the  offing,  every  movement  on  her  decka 
was  plainly  discernable  with  the  telescope. 

"  Where  can  Danvers  have  hid  all  his  crew  ?"  first  spoke  Captain  Erskihe  j 
**  I  count  but  half  a  dozen  hands  altogether  on  deck,  and  these  are  barely  6uf> 
ficieht  to  work  her." 

^  "Lying  concealed,  and  ready,  no  doubt,  to  give  the  canoes  a  warm  recep- 
tion," observed  Lieutenant  Jonnstone ;  ''  but  where  can  our  friends  be  1 
Surely,  if  there,  they  would  show  themselves  to  us." 

There  was  in  truth  in  this  remark ;  and  each  felt  discouraged  and  disap^ 
pointed  that  they  did  not  appear. 

"There  come  the  whoo'^ing  hell  fiends,"  said  Major  Blackwater.  "Bj 
heaven  !  the  very  water  is  darkened  with  the  shadows  of  their  canoes." 

Scarcely  had  he  spoken,  when  the  vessel  was  suddenly  surrounded  by  i 
niultitudie  of  savages,  whose  fierce  shouts  rent  the  air,  while  their  dripping 
paddles,  gleaming  like  silver  in  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun,  w«re  alternately 
waved  aloft  in  triumph,  and  then  plunged  into  the  troubled  element,  whida 
they  spurned  in  fury  from  their  blades. 

"What  can  Danvers  be  about?  Why  does  he  not  either  open  his  fire,  of 
crowd  sail  and  away  from  them  1"  exclaimed  several  voices. 

"  The  detachment  is  in  readiness,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Lawson,  and  ascending  th# 
.platform,  and  addressing  Major  Blackwater.  ♦ 

» The  deck,  the  deck !"  shouted  Erskine.  ^   '      '  ; ^  ':  :i+  i^X  ^' 

Already  the  eyes  of  several  were  bent  in  the  direction  alluded  to  by  the 
last  speaker,  whUe  those  whose  attention  had  been  diverted  by  the  approach- 
ing canoes  glanced  rapidly  to  the  same  point.  To  the  surprise  and  conster^' 
nation  of  all,  the  tall  and  well-remembered  form  of  the  warrior  of  the  Fleur 
de  Liis  was  seen  towering  far  above  the  bulwarks  of  the  schooner ;  and  with 
an  expression  in  the  attitude  he  had  assumed,  which  no  one  could  mistaka* 
fbr  other  than  that  of  triumphant  defiance.  Presently  he  drew  from  the 
bosom  of  his  hunting  coat  a  dark  parcel^  and  springing  into  the  rigging  of  the 
mainmast,  ascended  with  incredible  activity  to  the  point  where  the  English 
ensign  was  faintly  floating  in  the  breeze.  This  he  tore  f\iriously  away,  and 
reAmng  it  into  many  pieces,  cast  the  fragments  into  the  silver  element  beneath 
him,  on  whose  bosom  they  were  seen  to  float  among  the  canoes  of  the  savages, 
many  of  whom  possessed  themselves,  with  eagerness,  of  the  gaudy  colorea 
trophies.  The  dark  parcel  was  now  unfolded  by  the  active  warrior,  who, 
after  having  waved  it  several  times  round  his  head,  commenced  attaching  it  to 
Uie  lines  whence  the  English. ensign  had  so  recently  been  torn.    It  waw  a  laxgt 


'.-.^ 


wacousta;  or,  the  prophecy. 


178 


It 


con- 


By 


Uack  flag,  the  purport  of  which  was  too  readily  comprehended  by  the  excit- 
ed officei's. 

''  Hang  the  ruffian !  can  we  not  manage  to  make  that  flag  servo  as  his  own 
winding  sheet  7"  exclaimed  Captan  Erskine.  "  Come,  Wentworth,  give  us  a 
second  edition  of  the  sortie  firing ;  I  know  no  man  who  undcrttands  pointing 
a  gun  better  than  yourself,  and  this  eighteen  pounder  might  do  some  mis- 
chief." 

The  idea  was  instantly  caught  at  by  the  officer  of  artillery,  who  read  his 
consent  in  the  eye  of  Colonel  de  Haldimar.  His  companions  made  way  on 
either  side  j  and  several  gunners,  who  were  already  at  their  stations,  having 
advanced  to  work  the  piece  at  the  command  of  their  captain,  it  was  speedily 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  schooner. 

'*  This  will  do.  I  think,"  said  Wentworth^  as,  glancing  his  experienced  eyo 
carefiilly  along  the  gun,  he  found  it  pointed  immediately 

of  the  waiTior.  

mine. 


n 


on  the  gigantic  frame 
"  If  this  chain-shot  miss  him,  it  will  be  through  no  fault  of 


i: 


Every  eye  was  now  riveted  on  the  main  mast  of  the  schooner,  where  the 
warrior  was  still  engaged  in  attaching  the  portentous  flag.  The  gunner,  who 
beld  the  match,  obeyed  the  sileht  signal  of  his  captain ;  and  the  massive  iron 
was  heard  ixishing  past  the  officers,  bound  on  its  murderous  mission.  A  mo- 
ment or  two  of  intense  anxiety  elapsed  j  and  when  at  length  the  rolling  vol- 
umes of  smoke  gradually  floated  awa^,  to  the  dismay  and  disappointment  of 
all',  the  fierce  warrior  was  seen  standing  apparently  unharmed  on  the  same 
spot  in  the  rigging.  The  shot  had,  however,  been  well  aimed,  fer  a  large  rent 
in  the  outstretched  canvass,  close  at  his  side,  and  about  mi3-height  of  his 
p^'son,  marked  the  direction  it  had  taken.  Again  he  tore  away,  and  trium- 
phantly waved  the  black  flag  around  his  head,  while  from  his  capacious  lun^ 
there  burst  yells  of  defiance  and  scorn,  that  could  be  distinguished  for  his 
own  even  at  that  distance.  This  done,  he  again  secured  the  death  symbol  to 
its  place ;  and  gliding  to  the  deck  by  a  single  rope,  appeared  to  give  orders  to 
the  few  inen  of  the  crew  who  were  to  be  seen }  for  every  stitch  of  canvass 
was  again  made  to  fill,  and  the  vessel,  boimding  forward  before  the  breeze 
then  blowing  upon  her  quarter,  shot  rapidly  behind  the  town,  and  was  finally 
seen  tb  cast  anchor  in  the  navigable  channel  that  divides  Hog  Island  fi:om  the  > 
shores  of  Canada. 

At  the  discharge  %f  the  efghteen  pounder,  the  river  had  been  suddenly 
cleared,  as  if  by  magic,  of  every  canoe ;.  while,  warned  by  the  same  danger, 
the  gsoups  of  inhabitants,  assembled  on  the  bank,  had  rushed  for  shelter  to  ' 
tiieur  respective  homes ;  so  that,  when  the  schooner  disappeared,  not  a  vestigfe 
of  human  life  was  to  be  seen  along  that  vista  so  recently  peopled  with  human 
forms.  An  order  from  Colonel  de  Haldimar  to  the  adjutant,  countermanding 
the  sortie,  was  the  first  interruption  to  the  silence  that  had  continued  to  per- 
vade the  little  band  of  officers ;  aud  two  or  three  of*  these  having  hastened  to 
the  western  front  of  the  rampart,  in  order  to  obtain  a  more  distinct  view  of 
the  movements  of  the  schooner,  their  example  was  speedily  followed  by  the 
remainder,  all  of  whom  now  quitted  the  platform,  and  repaired  to  the  same 
point. 

Here,  with  the  aid  of  their  telescopes,  they  again  distinctly  commanded  a 
view  of  the  vessel,  which  lay  motionless  close  under  the  sandy  beach  of  the 
island,  and  exhibiting  all  the  technicalities  of  skill  in  the  disposition  of  sailSw 
and  yards  "peculiar  to  the  profession.    In  vain,  however,  was  every  eye  strain- 
ed to  discover,  among  the  multitudes  of  savages  that  kept  momentarily  leaping 
to  her  deck,  the  forms  of  those  in  whom  they  v/ere  most  interested.    A  group 
of  some  half  dozen  men,  apparently  common  sailors,  and  those,  in  all  probar  , 
bility,  whose  services  had  been  compelled  in  the  working  of  the  vessel,  were 
the  only  evidences  th^at  civilised  man  formed  a  portion  of  that  grotesque  a* a 
semblage.    These,  with  their  arms  evidentljr  bound  behind  their  backs,  and 
placed  on  one  of  tne  gangways,  were  only  visible  at  intervals,  as  the  band  of 


?:•)■ 


:■} 


'    ft' 


my  * 


174 


wacousta;  or,  the  prophbot. 


m  1 

i 

i;; 


U    '  .f,l.*! 


savages  tliat  surrounded  them,  brandishing  their  tomahawks  around  their 
heads,  occasionally  left  an  opening  in  their  circle.  The  formidable  warrior  of 
the  Flour  de  Lis  was  no  longer  to  be  seen,  although  the  flag  which  he  had 
hoisted  stillSluttered  in  the  breeze.  * 

"  All  is  lost,  then,"  ejaculated  the  governor,  with  a  mournfulness  of  voice 
and  manner  that  caused  many  of  his  officers  to  turn  and  regard  him  with 
surprise.  "  That  black  flag  announces  the  triumph  of  my  foe  in  the  too  cer- 
tain destruction  of  my  children.  New.  indeed,"  he  cohcliided  in  a  lowertone, 
*^for  the  fii'st  time,  does  the  curse  of  Ellen  Hallo  Way  sit  heavily  upon  my 
Boul." 

A  deep  sigh  burst  from  one  immediately  behind  him.  The  governor  turned 
suddenly  round,  and  btheld  his  son.  Never  did  human  countenance  wear  a 
character  of  more  poignant  misery  than  that  of  the  unhappy  Chavles  at  the 
moment.  Attracted  by  the  report  of  the  cannon,  he  had  flown  to  ^he  ram* 
part  to  ascertain  the  cause,  and  had  reached  his  companions  orJy  to  leam  th* 
strong  hope  so  recently  Icindled  in  his  breast  was  fled  for  ever.  His  cheek, 
over  which  hung  his  neglected  hair,  was  now  pale  as  marble,  and  his  lipi 
bloodless  and  parted  ;  yet,  notwithstanding  this  intensity  of  personal  sorrow 
a  tear  had  started  to  his  eye,  apparently  wrung  from  him  by  this  unusual  ex- 
pression of  dismay  in  his  father. 

"  Charles — my  son — my  only  now  'Vemaining  child."  murmured  the  gov* 
emor,  with  emotion,  as  he  remarked  and  started  at  tne  death-like  image  of 
the  youth  ;  "  look  not  thus,  or  you  will  utterly  unman  me."  , 

A'  sudden  and  involuntary  impulse  caused  him  to  extend  his  arms.  Th« 
young  officer  sprang  forward  into  the  proffered  embrace,  and  sank  his  head 
upon  the  cheek  of  Iris  father.  It  was  the  first  time  ho  had  enjoyed  that  priv» 
ilege  since  his  childhood  j  and  even  overwhelmed  as  he  was  by  his  affliction, 
he  felt  it  deeply. 

This  short  but  touching  scene  was  witnessed  by  their  companions,  without 
levity  in  an^,  and  with  'emotion  by  several.  None  felt  more  gratified  at  this 
demonstration  of  parental  affection  for  the  sensitive  boy,  than  Blessington  and 
Erskine. 

"I  cannot  yet  persuade  myself,"  observed  the  former  officer,  as  the  colonel 
agap  assumed  that  dignity  of  demeanor  which  had  been  momentarily  lost 
sight  of  in  the  ebullition  of  his  feelings, — "I  cannot  vet  persuade  myself 
tlungs  are  altogether  so  bad  as  they  appear.    It  is  true  the  schooner  is  ia  the 

Eossession  of  the  enemy,  but  there  is  nothing  to  prove  our  friends  are  on 
oard." 

"If  you  had  reason  to  know  ?nm  into  whose  hands  she  has  fallen,  as  I  do, 
you  would  thijik  differently.  Captain  Blessington,"  returned  the  governor, 
"That  mysterious  being,"  he  pursued,  after  a  short  pause,  "would  hever 
have  made  this  parade  of  his  conquest,  had  it  related  merely  to  a  few  lives, 
which  to  him  are  of  utter  insignificance.  The  very  substitution  of  yon  black 
flae,  in  his  insolent  triumph,  was  the  pledge  of  redemption  of  a  threat  breath- 
cd  m  my  car  within  this  very  fort  j  on  what  occasion  I  need  not  state,  since 
the  events  connected  with  that  unhappy  night  are  still  fresh  in  the  recollec- 
tions of  us  all.  That  he  is  my  personal  enemy,  gentlemen,  it  would  be  in 
vain  to  disguise  from  yoti ;  although  who  he  is,  or  of  what  nature  his  enmity, 
it  imports  not  now  to  enter  upon.  Suffice  it,  I  have  little  doubt  my  children 
are  in  his  power ;  but  whether  the  black  flag  indicates  they  are  nO  more,  or 
that  the  tragedy  is  only  in  preparation,  I  confess  I  am  at  a  loss  to  undt  rstand.' 
Deeply  aucctcd  by  the  evident  despondency  that  had  dictated  those  uiiusual 
admissions  on  the  part  of  their  cliief,  the  ofllcers  wore  forward  to  combat  the 
inferences  he  had  drawn ;  several  coinc»<ling  in  the  opinion  now  expi tssed  by 
Captain  Wentworth,  that  the  fnot  of  the  sschooner  having  fallen  into  tiu,'  hands 
of  the  savages  by  no  inoans  implied  the  capture  of  the  fort  whence  the  came; 
since  it  was  not  at  all  unlilely  she  ha<I  been  chased  during  a  cohu  hy  the  nu- 


^ 


.^ft 


\         -V 


wacovsta;    or,  the   prophecy. 


175 


the 


since 


inerons  canoes  into  the  Sinclair,  where,  owing  to  the  extreme  narrowness  of 
the  river,  she  had  fallen  an  easy  prey. 

•'  Moreover,"  observed  Captain  Blessington,  "  it  is  highly  improbable  the 
ferocious  warrior  could  have  succeeded  in  capturing  any  oiv^erg  than  the  un- 
fortunate crew  of  the  schooner ;  for  had  this  been  the  caso,  bo  would  not 
liave  lost  ths  opportunity  of  crowning  his  triumph  by  eihibitir^j  his  victims 
to  our  view  in  some  conspicuous  part  of  the  vessel." 

*'  This,  I  grant  you,"  rejoined  the  governor  "  to  be  one  solitarj  circum- 
stance in  our  favor ;  but  may  it  not,  after  all,  merely  prove  that  our  worst  ap- 
prehensions are  already  realised?" 

"  He  is  not  one,  methinks,  since  vengeance  seems  his  aim,  to  exercise  it  in 
80  summary,  and  therefore  merciful,  a  manner.  Depend  upon  it,  colonel,  bad 
any  one  of  those  in  whom  we  are  more  immediately  interested,  fallen  into  his 
hands,  he  would  not  have  failed  to  insult  and  agonise  us  by  an  exhibition  of 
his  prisoners." 

"  You  are  right,  Blessington,"  exclaimed  Charles  dc  Haldimar,  in  a  voice 
that  his  choking  feelings  rendered  almost  sepulchral ;  "  he  is  not  one  to  ex- 
ercise his  vengeance  in  a  summary  and  merciful  manner.  The  deed  is  yet  iin- 
accomplished,  for  even  now  the  curse  of  Ellen  Halloway  rings  again  in  my 
ear,  and  tells  me  the  atoning  blood  must  be  spilt  on  the  grave  of  her  hus- 
band." 

"The  peculiar  tone  in^which  these  words  were  uttered,  caused  every  one  pre- 
sent to  turn  and  regard  the  speaker,  for  t'  ^  recalled  the  prophetic  language 
of  the  unhappy  woman.  There  was  now  u  wildness  of  expression  in  his  hand- 
some features,  marking  the  mind  utterly  dead  to  hope,  yet  struggling  to  work 
itself  up  to  passive  endurance  of  the  worst.  Colonel  de  Haldimar  sighed 
painfully,  as  he  bent  his  eye  half  r-proachfully  on  the  dull  and  attenuated 
features  of  his  son ;  and  although  he  spoke  not,  his  look  betrayed  the  anguish 
that  allusion  had  called  up  to  his  heart. 

"  Ha  I  what  new  movement  is  that  on  the  part  of  the  savages  ?"  exclaimed 
Captain  Erskine,  who  had  kept  his  glass  to  his  eve  mechanically,  and  chiefly 
with  a  view  of  hiding  the  emotion  produced  in  him  by  the  almost  inf%ntine 
despair  of  the  younger  de  Haldimar:  "  surely  it  is — yet, :  (.,  it  cannot  be — 

fes,  see  how  they  are  dragging  several  prisoners  from  the  wood  to  the  beach. 
can  distinctly  see  a  man  in  a  blanket  coat,  and  two  others  considerably 
taller,  and  apparently  sailors.  But  look_  behind  them  are  two  females  in  Eu- 
ropean dress.    Almighty  heaven  !  there  can  be  no  doubt." 

A  painful  pause  ensued.  Every  other  glass  and  eye  was  levelled  in  the  same 
direction  J  and,  as  Erskino  had  described  it.  a  party  of  Indians  wro  seen,  by 
those  who  had  the  telescopes,  conducting  live  prisoners  towards  a  canoe  that 
lay  in  the  channel  communicating  from  the  island  with  the  main  land  on  tlir 
Detroit  shore.  Into  the  bottom  of  these  they  were  presently  huddled,  uc 
that  /Only  their  heads  and  shoulders  were  visible  above  the  gunwale  of 
tho  frail  bark.  Presently  a  tall  warrior  was  seen  bounding  from  the  wood 
towards  the  beach.  Tho  crowd  of  gesticulating  Indians  made  way,  and  tho 
warrior  was  seen  to  stoop  and  apply  hi?  shoulder  to  the  cnnoe,  one  half  of 
which  was  high  and  dry  upon  the  sand.s.  The  heavily  luJcn  vessel  obey- 
ed the  impetus  with  a  rapidity  tliat  proved  tho  muscular  power  of  him  who 
gAve  it.  Like  some  wild  annual,  instinct  with  life,  it  lashed  tlio  foaming 
wakers  from  its  bows,  and  left  a  dopp  and  gurgling  furrow  where  it  pass- 
ed. As  it  quitted  tiio  shore  the  warrior  sprang  lightly  in,  taking  ^us  .sta- 
tion at  tho  stern;  and  while  his  tall  and  remarkable  figure  beBt  'y*5';*v 
to  the  movement,  he  dashed  his  paddb  from  right  to  loft  altcriwttly  itT  tho 
gtxeam,  with  a  qtiiokness  that  rendered  it  almost  invi.'iblo  to  d^o  ^^'°'  *  ''^ 
gently  the  canoe  disnnppared  round  »n  intervening  hcad]an<I,  and  tho  o<ll<.'oli 
loft  sight  of  it  altogetlier.  i  •     j 

'« Tl  J  portrait.  Charles  ;  what  have  you  done  with  tho  portrait  7"  exrlimnocj 
Captain  Blessington,  actuated  by  a  sudden  recollection,  and  \jith  a  trepidation 


.^. 


h 


r. 


v,«| 


176 


WAC0V8TA;     0R«    THE     PROPHBCT. 


pV'   ,i 


:^)! 


in  his  voice  and  manner  that  spoke  volumes  of  despair  to  the  younger  de  Hal- 
di  oar.  "  This  is  our  only  hope  of  solving  the  mystery.  Quick,  give  me  the 
nttvtrait,  if  you  have  it." 

The  young  officer  hurriedly  tore  the  miniature  from  the  hreast  of  his  uni- 
for  n,  and  pitched  it  through  the  interval  that  separated  him  from  his  captain, 
■w  bo  stood  a  f^w  feet  off;  hut  with  so  uncertain  and  trembling  an  aim.  it 
iaissed  the  hind  extended  to  secure  it,  and  fell  upon  the  very  stone  the  yoiith 
hi> '.  formerly  pointed  out  to  Blessington,  as  marking  the  particular  spot  on 
W'h  ich  hv  stood  duribg  the  execution  of  Halloway.  The  violence  of  the  i.ill 
S"?  irated  he  back  of  the  frame  from  the  picture  itself  when  suddenly  a  piece 
,oi  rhite  a»:d  crumbled  paper,  apparently  part  of  the  back  of  a  letter,  yet  cut 
Ui-  size  and  shape  of  the  miniature,  was  exhibited  to  the  view  of  all. 

Ha !"  resumed  the  gratified  Blessington,  as  he  stooped  to  possess  himself 
oi  .he  prize  ;  "  I  knew  the  miniature  would  be  found  to  contain  some  intelli- 
g  ice  fi-om  our  friends.  It  is  only  this  moment  it  occurred  to  me  to  take  it 
ij  ueces,  but  accident  has  anticipated  my  purpose.  May  the  omen  prove  a 
g'    i  one !    But  what  have  we  here "?" 

>  Tith  some  difficulty,  the  anxious  officer  now  succeeded  in  making  out  the 
ch;  racters,  which,  in  default  of  pen  or  pencil,  had  been  formed  by  the  prick- 
■;i.  of  a  fine  pin  on  the  paper.  The  broken  sentences,  on  which  the  whole 
c  he  group  now  hung  with  greedy  ear,  ran  nearly  as  follows : — "  A\  is  lost. 
]Mi  hillimackinac  is  taken.  We  are  prisoners,  and  doomed  .to  die  within  eight 
111  forty  hours.  Alas !  Clara  and  Madeline  are  of  oui  number.  Still  there 
-  hope,  if  my  father  deem  it  prudent  to  incur  the  risk.  A  surprise,  well 
J  :!  aaged,  may  do  much;  but  it  must  be  to-morrow  nigHt ;  forty-eight  hours 
D)    e,  and  it  will  be  of  no  avail.    He  who  will  deliver  this  is  our  friend,  and 

enemy  of  my  father's  enemy.    He  will  be  in  the  spot  at  the  same  hour  to- 
row  night,  and  will  conduct  the  detachment  to  wherever  we  may  chance 

•e.    If  you  fail  in  your  enterprise,  receive  our  last  prayers  for  a  less  disaa- 

is  fate.     God  bless  you  all !" 

he  blood  ran  coldly  through  every  vein  during  the  perusal  of  these  impor- 
^    1 .  sentences,  but  not  one  word  of  comment  was  offered  by  an  individual  of 
Lii    group.    No  explanation  wa&  necessary.    The  captives  in  the  canoe,  the 
ta;,  warrior  in  its  stern,  all  sufficiently  betrayed  the  horrible  truth.    Colonel 
''  •  laldimar  at  length  turned  an  enquiring  Ioci£  at  his  two  captains,  and  then" 

ressing  the  adjutant,  asked — "  What  companies  are  off  duty  to-day,  Mr. 

7son  ?'' 

Mine,"  said  Blessington,  with  an  energy  that  denoted  how  deeply  rejoiced 
h    bit  at  the  fact,  without  giving;  the  adjutant  time  to  reply. 

•  And  mine,"  impetuously  added  Captain  Erskine ;  "  and  (with  an  oath)  I 
'  i  answer  for  them ;  they  never  embarked  on  a  duty  of  that  sort  with  greater 
x*'\  than  they  will  on  this  occasion." 

'  Gentlemen,  I  thank  you,"  said  Colonel  do  Ilaldimar,  with  deep  omotioo, 
ft  ho  stepped  forward  and  graspiid  in  turn  the  hands  of  the  goncrous-heart«d 
oft' oors.    •  To  heaver,  and  to  your  exertions,  do  I  commit  my  children  1" 

Any  artillery,  colonel  ?"  enquired  the  officer  of  that  corns. 
'  No,  Wentworth,  no  artillery.  Whatever  remains  to  be  done,  must  be 
■cliieved  by  the  bayonet  alone,  aad  under  favor  of  the  darkness.  Gentlemen, 
ftgiiin  I  tliank  you  for  this  generous  interest  in  my  children — this  forwardnesd 
in  'tn  enterprise  on  which  depend  the  lives  of  so  many  dear  friends.  I  am  not 
'<'i>cif  t«  express  warm  emotion,  but  I  do,  indeed,  appreciate  this  conduct 
4t.<  ply.  Ho  then  moved  away,  desiring  Mr.  Lawson,  as  he  quitted  the  ram-^ 
pftit, Jo  cause  the  men  for  this  service  to  bo  got  in  inhtant  readiness. 

'♦?  rV"^  ^-^^c  example  of  their  colonel,  Captain  Blessington  and  Erskini 

i  ated  the  ramfiart  also,  hastening  to  satisfy  themselves  by  personal  inspect 

t«  n  of  the  efficiency  in  all  respects  of  their  several  companie.s;  and  in  a  few 

ii'.nuUs.  the  only  individual  to  bo  seen  m  that  quarter  of  the  works  was  th« 

^utmeU  who  hud  been  a  silent  and  pained  r^ltnowf  of  al!  ihn-  i>%ntvd  unong 


tl. 

t« 


<^>' 


r  , 

u 


/ 


l«  .^.> 


wacoitsta;   or,   the   prophecy. 


177 


CHAPTER  XXVn. 

Sufficient  has  been  shown,  from  the  conversations  among  his  officers, 
elsewhere  transcribed,  to  account  for  the  governor's  conduct  in  the  case  of 
Halloway.  That  the  rojommendations  of  his  son^  Captain  de  Haldimar,  had  not 
been  attended  to,  arose  not  from  any  particular  ill-will  towards  the  unhappy 
man,  but  simply  because  he  had  always  been  in  the  habit  of  making  Ins  own 
selections  from  the  ranks,  and  that  the  present  recommendation  had  been 
warmly  urged  by  one  whom  he  fancied  pretended  to  a  discrimination  superior 
to  his  own,  in  pointing  out  merits  that  had  escaped  his  observation.  It  might 
bo,  too,  that  there  was  a  latent  pride  about  the  manner  of  Halloway  that  dis- 
pleased and  dissatisfied  one  who  looked  upon  his  subordinates  as  things  that 
were  amenable  to  the  haughtiness  of  his  glance, — not  enough  of  deference  in 
his  demeanor,  nor  of  supplicating  obsequiousness  in  his  speech,  to  entitle  him 
to  the  promotion  prayed  for.  Whatever  the  motive,  there  was  nothing  of  per- 
sonality to  inllucnce  him  in  the  rejection  of  the  appeal  made  in  favor  of  one 
who  had  never  injured  him ;  but  who,  on  tho  contrary,  as  the  whole  of  the 
regiment  could  attest,  had  saved  the  life  of  his  son. 

Rigid  disciplinarian  as  he  was,  and  holding  himself  responsible  for  the  safety 
of  the  garrison,  it  was  but  natural,  when  the  discovery  had  been  made  of  tho 
unaccountable  unfastening  of  the  gate  of  the  fort,  suspicion  of  no  ordinary  kind 
should  attach  to  the  sentinel  posted  there ;  and  that  he  should  steadily  refuse 
all  credence  to  a  story  wearing  so  much  appearance  of  improbability.  Proud, 
and  intlexil)le,  and  bigoted  to  first  impressions,  his  mind  was  closed  against 
those  palliating  circumstances,  which,  adduced  by  Halloway  in  his  defence,  had 
80  mainly  contributed  to  stamp  the  conviction  of  his  moral  innocence  on  the 
minds  ot  his  judges  and  tho  attentive  auditory ;  and  could  he  even  have  con- 
quered his  pride  so  far  as  to  havcvadmitted  tho  belief  of  that  innocence,  stijl 
uie  military  crime  of  which  he  had  been  guilty,  in  infringing  a  positive  order 
of  the  garrison,  was  in  itself  sufficient  to  call  forth  ;ill  tho  unrelenting  severity 
of  his  nature.  Throughout  the  whole  of  tho  proceedings  subsequently  insti- 
tuted, he  had  acted  and  spoken  from  a  perfect  conviction  of  the  treason  of  tho 
unfortunate  soldier,  and  with  the  fullest  impression  of  the  falsehood  of  all  that 
had  been  offered  in  his  defence.  The  considerations  that  influenced  the  minds 
of  his  officers,  found  no  entrance  into  his  proud  breast,  wl^ich  was  closed 
against  everything  but  his  own  dignified  sense  of  superior  judgment.  Could  he. 
Hke  them,  have  given  credence  to  tho  talc  of  Halloway,  or  really  have  believed 
*  ,  t  Capitain  de  Haldimar,  eduoated  under  his  o\vn  military  eye,  could  have 

nn  so  wanting  in  subordination,  as  not  merely  to  have  infringed  a  positive  or- 
u.T  of  tho  garrison,  but  to  have  made  a  private  soWier  of  that  garrison  acces- 
miry  to  lus  delinquency,  it  is  more  than  probable  his  stern  habits  of  military 
discipTinc  would  have  caused  him  to  overlook  the  olTenco  of  the  soldier,"  in 
deeper  indignation  at  the  conduct  of  tho  inflnitclv  more  culaable  officer ;  but 
not  one  word  did  ho  credit  of  a  statement,  wliich  ho  assumed  had  been  got  up 
hy  the  prisoner  with  tho  mere  view  of  shielding  himself  from  punishmoi*:  and 

ten  to  these  suspicions  of  his  fidelity  was  attached  tho  fact  of  the  introduc- 
tion of  his  alar.ning  visiter,  it  must  be  confessed  liis  motives  fof  indulging '« 
this  belief  were  not  without  foundation.  . 

Tho  impatience  manifested  during  tho  trial  of  Halloway  was  not  a  result  of 
any  desire  of  systematic  persecution,  bu*  of  a-scnse  of  wounded  dign'^y.  It 
was  a  thing  unheard  of,  and  unpardonable  in  his  eyes,  for  a  private  .toMier  to 
assert,  in  his  presence,  his  honor  and  his  respectability  in  extenuation,  ereu 
while  admitting  the  justioo  of  a  specific  charge  |  and  when  he  remarkLd  the 
court  listening  with  that  profound  attention,  which  the  peculiar  hwt'jry  o«  tho 
prisoner  had  excite  i,  ho  could  not  reprefw  the  manifestation  of  his  anger,  in 
justice  to  him.  bowovcr,  it  muat  be  acknowledged  that,  in  causmg  the  chargt, 

18 


■■i':i; 


-np^ 


K, 


> » 


Nl; 


:'i,'', 


178 


wacoitsta;    or,  the    prophecy. 


\o  v'hich  the  unfortunate  man  pleaded  guilty,  to  be  framed,  he  had  only  acted 
froni  the  conviction  that,  on  the  two  first,  there  was  not  sufficient  evidence  to 
coTjtlemn  one  whose  crime  was  as  clearly  established,  to  his  judgment,  as  if  he 
had  been  an  eye-witness  of  the  treason.  It  is  true,  he  availed  himself  of  Fal- 
loway's  voluntary  confession,  to  effect  his  condemnation ;  but  estimating  him 
aa  a  traitor  he  felt  little  delicacy  was  necessary  to  be  observed  on  that  ^core. 
iVnch  of' the  despotic  military  character  of  Colonel  de  Haldimar  hcd  been 
coramunicated  to  his  private  life ;  so  much,  indeed,  that  his  sons, — ^both  of  • 
wliom  it  has  been  seen,  were  of  natures  that  belied  their  origin  from  so  stem 
a  elrick  — were  kept  at  nearly  as  great  a  distance  from  him  as  any  other  sub- 
ordinates of  his  regiment.  But.  although  he  seldom  indulged  in  manifestations 
of  parental  regard  towards  those  whom  he  looked  upon  rather  as  inferiors  in 
military  rank,  tfian  as  beings  connected  with  him  by  the  ties  of  blood.  Colonel 
de  '^ialdimar  was  not  without  that  instinctive  love  for  his  children,  which 
e-^r,r  ■  animal  in  the  creation  feels  for  its  offspring.  He,  also,  valued  and  took 
a  jv  ie  in,  because  they  reflected  a  certain  degree  of  lustre  upon  himself,  the 
ta'.<  ts  and  accomplishments  of  his  Mdest  son,  who,  moreover,  was  a  bravo, 
n  ^'.  prising  officer,  and,  only  wanted,  in  his  father's  estimation,  that  severity 
Of  a.Tiage  and  hauteur  of  deportment,  befitting  his  son,  to  render  him  per- 
fer-t  As  for  Charles, — the  gentle,  bland,  winning,  universally  conciliating 
Charles, — he  looked  upon  him  a  mere  weak  boy,  who  could  never  hope  to  ar-f 
riv  at  any  post  of  distinction,  if  only  by  reason  of  the  extreme  delicacy  of  his 
p'uvrfical  organisation  ;  and  to  have  shown  anything  like  rcspccf  for  his  char- 
acf'^T,  indulged  in  any  expression  of  tenderness  for  one  so  far  below  his  esti- 
of  what  a  soldier,  a  child  of  his,  ought  to  be,  would  have  been  a  conces- 
)f  which  his  proud  nature  was  incapable.  In  his  daughter  Clara,  however, 
entlencss  of  sex  claimed  that  warmer  affection  which  was  denied  to  him 
resembled  her  in  almost  every  attribute  of  mind  and  person.  Colonel  do  x 
imn,r  doated  on  his  daughter  with  a  tenderness,  for  which  few  who  were 
lai  liar  with  his  harsh  and  uiibcnding  nat^rc,  ever  gave  him  credit.  She  was 
tho  anago  of  one  on  whom  all  of  iovc  that  ho  had  ever  known  had  been  cen- 
terc  ^ij  and  he  had  continued  in  Clara  ah  affection,  that  seemed  in  itself  to 
for  71)  a  portion,  distinct  and  apart,  of  his  existence. 

"  e  haver  already  seen,  as  seated  by  Charles  de  Haldimar  to  the  unfortu- 
wife  of  Halloway,  with  what  little  success  he  had  pleaded  in  the  inter- 
he  had  requested  of  his  father  for  the  preserver  of  his  gallant  brother's 
and  we  have  also  seen  how  equally  inefficient  was  the  lowly  and  suppli- 
ng anguish  of  that  wi  etched  being,  when  on  quitting  the  apartment  of  his  . 
•I  Colonel  de  Haldimar  had  so  unexpectedly  found  himself  clasped  in  'vjp 
.  •»' rring  embrace.'  There  was  little  to  be  expected  from  an  intercession  on 
1)1  part  of  one  claiming  so  little  ascendancy  over  his  father's  heart  as  the 
iiiveraally  esteemed  young  officer  ;  still  less  from  one  who,  in  her  shriek  of 
tjrovy,  had  exposed  the  haughty  chief  to  the  observation  both  of  men  and 
oih'-'rrs,  and  under  circumstilnces  that  caused  his  position  to  border  on  the  lu- 
''.!•  j'Wfi.  But  however  these  considerations  might  have  failed  in  effect,  there 
K  .  amother  which,  as  a  soldier,  he  could  not  wholly  overlook.  Although  he 
offwed  no  comment  on  the  extraordinary  recommendation  to  mercy  an- 
d  to  the  Ronteuco  of  the  prisoner,  it  had  a  certain  weight  with  him ;  and 
It,  all  absolute  even  as  he  wan,  he  could  not,  without  exciting  strong  dis- 
faction  among  his  troops,  refuse  attention  to  a  document  so  pow  -fnlly 
le<^,  and  bearing  the  signature  and  approval  >if  so  old  andvaiu.^  an 
r  ap  Captain  Blessington.  Ills  determination,  therefore,  had  been  formed, 
before  his  visit  to  his  son,  to  act  as  circumstances  might  require ;  and,^ 
10  meanwhile,  ho  commanded  every  preparation  for  the  execution  to  bo* 
e. 

1)1  causing  a  strong  detachment  to  bo  marched  to  the  coi  picuous  point 
dwsen  for  his  purpose,  he  hnd  acted  from  a  conviction  of  the  necessity  of 
mofring  the  enemy  the  treawn  of  the  soldier  had  been  de*f>cted  ;  reserving 


nf 


in 


BQ: 


■JO'. 


\Afu 


-'*»•» 


^. 


. !" 


WACOUSTAJ     OR,    THE    PROPHECY 


179 


to  him.^elf  the  determination  of  carrying  the  sentence  into  full  effect,  or  par 
"doping  the  condemned,  as  the  event  might  warrant.  Not  one  moment,  mean 
while,  did  he  doubt  the  guilt  of  Halloway,  whose  description  of  the  person 
of  his  enemy  was,  in  itself,  to  him,  confirmatory  evidence  of  his  treason.  It 
is  doubtful  whether  he  would,  in  any  way,  have  been  influenced  by  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  court,  had  the  first  charges  been  subsi  ntiated;  but  a& 
there  was  nothing  but  conjecture  to  bear  out  these,  and  as  the  prisoner  had 
been  convicted  only  on  the  ground  of  suffering  Captain  de  Haldimar  to  quit 
the  fort  contrary  to  orders,  he  felt  he  might  possibly  go  too  far  in  carrying 
the  capital  punishment  into  effect,  in  decided  opposition  to  the  general  feeling 
of  the  garrison, — both  of  officers  and  men. 

When  the  shot  was  subsequently  fired  from  the  hut  of  the  Canadian,  and 
the  daring  rifleman  recognised  as  the  same  fearful  individual  who  had  gained 
Recess  to  his  apartment  the  preceding  night,  conviction  of  the  guilt  of  Hallo- 
way  came  even  deeper  home  to  the  mind  of  the  governor.  It  was  through 
Franfois  alone  that  a  communication  was  kept  up  secretly  between  the  gar- 
rison and  several  of  the  Canadians  without  the  fort ;  and  the  very  fact  of  the 
mysterious  warrior  having  been  there  so  recently  after  his  daring  enterprise, 
bore  evidence  that  whatever  treason  was  in  operation,  had  been  carried  on 
through  the  instrumentality  of  mine  host  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis.  In  proof 
moreover,  there  was  the  hat  of  Donellan,  and  the  very  rope  Halloway  had 
ptated  to  be  that  by  which  the  unfortunate  officer  had  effected  his  exit  Colo- 
nel de  Haldimar  was  not  one  given  to  indulge  in  the  mysterious  or  to  believe 
m  the  romantic.  Everything  was  plain  matter  of  fact,  as  it  now  appeared 
before  him ;  and  he  thought  it  evident,  as  though  it  had  been  written  in  wordg 
of  fire,  that  if  his  son  and  his  unfortunate  servant  had  quitted  the  fort  in  the 
manner  represented,  it  was  no  less  certain  they  had  been  forced  off  by  a  party, 
at  the  head  of  whom  was  his  vindictive  enemy,  and  with  the  connivance  of 
Halloway.  We  iiave  seen,  that  after  the  discovery  of  the  sex  of  the  supposed 
drummer-boy  when  the  prisoners  were  confronted  together,  Colonel  de  Hal- 
dimar had  closely  watched  the  expression  of  their  countenances,  but  failed  in 
discovering  anything  that  could  be  traced  into  evidence  of  a  guilty  recognition. 
SUll  he  conceived  his  original  impression  to  have  been  too  forcibly  borne  out, 
even  oy  the  events  of  the  last  half  hour,  to  allow  this  to  have  much  weight 
with  him ;  and  his  determination  to  carry  the  thing  through  all  its  fearful 
I>rcliminary  stages  became  more  and  more  confirmed. 

In  adoptiuji  this  resolution  in  the  first  instance,  he  was  not  without  a  hope 
tha?.  FaViovrny,  standing,  as  he  must  feel  himself  to  be^  on  the  verge  of  the 
grave,  might  )^o  induced  to  make  confesnion  of  his  guilt,  and  communicate 
whatever  particulars  might  prove  essential  not  only  to  the  safety  of  the  gar- 
rison generally,  but  to  himself  individually,  as  far  as  his  personal  enemy  was 
concerned.  With  this  view,  ho  had  charged  Captain  Blessington,  in  the 
course  of  their  march  from  the  hut  to  the  fatal  bridgCj  to  promise  i  full  par- 
don, provided  ho  should  make  such  confession  of  his  crime  as  would  lead  to  a 
just  appreciation  of  the  evils  likely  to  result  from  the  treason  that  had  in 
part  been  accompl' Aed.  Even  in  making  this  provision,  however,  which  was 
met  by  the  prisoner  \,'ith  solemn  yet  dignified  reiteration  of  his  innocenee, 
Colonel  do  Haldimar  had  not  made  the  refusal  of  pardon  altogether  conclu- 
sive in  his  own  mind :  still,  in  adopting  this  plan,  there  was  a  chance  of  ob- 
taining a  confession  ;  and  not  until  there  was  no  longer  a  proi^pcct  of  the  un- 
happy man  being  led  into  that  confession,  did  he  feel  it  iiupcrative  on  him  to 
stay  the  pfogress  of  the  tragedy. 

What  the  result  would  have  been,  had  not  Halloway,  in  the  strong  excite- 
ment of  his  feelings,  sprung  to  his  feet  upon  tho  coffin,  uttering  the  exclama- 
tion of  triumph,  is  scarcely  doubtful.  However  mucli  tho  governor  might 
have  rontenincd  and  slighted  a  credulity  in  which  he  in  no  way  participated 
himself,  he  had  too  much  discrimination  not  to  perceive,  that  to  have  pers«- 
rercd  in  tho  capital  punishment  would  have  been  to  have  rendered  himself 


,-.'» 


^-i 


180 


vr  ACQ  vat  A.;    or,   th'e    frophbct, 


min 


'^'\ 


n 


"■  't 


■:'i 


personally  obnoxious  to  the  comrades  of  the  condemned,  whose  di.>pirited  aif 
and  sullen  mien,  he  clearly  saw,  denounced  the  punishment  as  one  of  unneces> 
sary  rigor.  The  haughty  commander  was  not  a  man  to  be  intimidated  by 
manifestations  of  discontent ;  neither  was  he  one  to  brook  a  spirit  of  insubor- 
dination, however  forcibly  supported ;  but  he  had  too  much  experience  and 
military  judgment,  not  to  determine  that  this  was  not  a  moment,  by  forcgmng 
an  act  of  compulsory  clemency,  to  instil  divisions  in  the  garrison,  when  the 
safety  of  all  so  much  depended  on  the  cheerfulness  and  unanimity  with  which 
they  lent  themselves  to  the  arduous  duties  of  defence. 

However  originating  in  policy,  the  lenity  he  might  have  been  induced  to 
have  shown,  all  idea  of  the  kind  was  chased  from  his  mind  by  the  unfortunate 
action  of  the  prisoner.  At  the  moment  when  the  distant  heights  resounded 
with  the  fierce  yells  of  the  savages,  and  leaping  forms  canie  bound'ng  down 
the  slope,  the  remarkable  warrior  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis — the  fearful  enemy  who 
had  whispered  the  most.demoniac  vengeance  in  his  ears  the  preceding  night, — 
was  the  only  one  that  met  and  riveted  the  gaze  of  the  governor.  He  paused 
not  to  observe  or  to  think  who  the  flying  man  could  be  of  whom  the  myste- 
rious warrior  was  in  pursuit, — neither  did  it,  indeed,  occur  to  him  that  it  was 
a  pursuit  at  all.  But  one  idea  fauggrested  itself  to  his  mind,  and  that  was  an 
attempt  at  rescue  of  the  concj  amned  on  the  part  of  his  accomplice ;  and  when 
at  length  Halloway,  who  had  at  oncOj  as  if  by  instinct,  recognised  his  captain 
in  the  fugitive,  shouted  forth  his  gratitude  to  heaven  that  "he     '  ' 


at  length  ap- 
proached who  alono  had  the  power  to  save  him,"  every  shadow  of  mercy  was 
banished  from  the  mind  of- the  governor,  who,  laboring  under  a  natural  mis- 
conception of  tb  J  causes  of  his  exulting  shout,  felt  that  justice  imperatively 
demanded  her  victim,  and  no  longer  hesitated  in  awarding  the  doom  that 
became  the  rupp6sed  traitor.  It  was  under  this  impression  that  he  sternly 
gave  and  repeated  the  jrder  to  fire ;  and  by  this  misjudged  and  severe,  m- 
though  not  absolutely  cruel  act,  not  only  destroyed  one  of  the  noblest  beings 
that  ever  wore  a'spldier's  uniform,  but  entailed  upon  himself  and  family  that 
terrific  curse  of  his  maniac  wife,  which  rang  like  a  prophetic  warning  in  the 
ears  of  all,  and  was  often  heard  in  the  fitful  startings  of  his  own  ever-after 
troubled  slumbers. 

What  hib  I'eelinj^'s  were,  when  subsequently  he  discovercfi^  in  the  wretched 
ftigitive,  the  son  whom  he  already  believed  to  have  been  numbered  with  the 
dead,  and  hes.rd  from  his  lips  a  confirmation  of  all  that  had  been  advanced  br 
the  unhappy  Halloway,  we  shall  leave  it  to  our  readers  to  imagine.  StilL 
even  amid  his  first  reg^cf'j  the  rigid  disciplinarian  was  strong  within  him  ;  ana 
no  sooner  had  the  detachment  regained  the  fort,  after  performing  the  last 
offices  of  interment  over  their  ill-fated  comrade,  than  Captain  de  -Haldimar 
received  an  intimation,  through  the  adjutant,  to  consider  himself  under  close 
arve^t  for  /'isobedience  of  orders.  Finally,  however,  he  succeeded  in  procur- 
ing* an  inicvview  with  his  father ;  in  the  course  of  which,  disclosing  the  plot 
of  t\<ci  IndiaiH,  ant  ^he  short  period' allotted  for  its  being  carried  into  exccu- 
.tioa,Vo  painted  in  the  most  gloomy  colors  the  alarming  dangers  which  threatened 
them  nil,  and  finished  by  urgently  imploring  bis  father  to  suffer  him  to  make 
the«%ttcmpt  to  reach  their  unsuspecting  friends  at  Michillimackinac.  Fully 
iippresj.xl  with  the  difficulties  attendant  on  a  scheme  that  offered  so  few  feasi- 
ble chances  of  success,  Colomel  do  Haldimar  for  a  period  denied  his  concur- 
rence ;  but  when  at  length  the  excited  young  m!:n  dwelt  on  the  horrors  that 
would- inevitably  await  his  sister  and  betrothed  cousin,  were  tiiey  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  savages,  these  considerations  were  found  to  be  effective.  An 
after  arrangemc.it  included  Sir  Everard  Valletort.  who  had  expressed  a  strong 
deeiro  to  share  his  danger  in  the  enterprise ;  and  tliO  services  of  the  Canadian, 
who  had  been  brought  back  a  prisoner  to  the  fort,  and  on  whom  promises  and 
ttureats  wore  bestowed  in  an  equally  lavish  mannc,  wnro  renderoti  available. 
In  flict,  without  the  assistance  ofFran^ois,  there  was  Mttle  chance  of  their 
effacting  in  safety  thw  navigat'on  of  the  waters  through  which  they  were  to 


1 .1 


:'•  'I 


W ACOUS 


OR,     THE     PROPHECY. 


ISl 


pass  to  arrive  at  the  fort.  He  it  was,  who,  when  summoned  to  attend  a  con- 
ference among  the  officers,  hearing  on  the  means  to  be  adopted,  suggested  tha 
propriety  of  their  disguising  themselves  as  Canadian  duck  hunters ;  in  which 
character  they  might  expect  to  pass  unmolested,  even  if  encountered  by  any 
outlying  parties  of  the  savages.  With  the  doubts  that  had  previously  been 
entertained  of  the  fidelity  of  Franf  ois,  there  was  an  air  of  forlorn  hope  given 
to  the  enterprise ;  still,  as  the  man  exprccsf-d  sincere  earnestness  of  desire  to 
repay  the  clemency  accorded  him,  by  a  faitliful  exercise  of  his  services,  and 
as  the  object  sought  was  one  that  justified  the  risk,  there  was,  notwithstand- 
ing, a  latent  hope  cherished  by  all  parties,  that  the  event  would  prove  success- 
ful.   "We  have  already  seen  to  what  extent  their  anticipations  were  realized. 

Whether  it  was  that  he  secretly  acknowledged  the  too  excessive  sternness 
of  his  justice  in  regard  to  Hallo  way  (who  still,  in  the  true  acceptation  of  facts^ 
had  been  guilty  of  a  crime  that  entailed  the  penalty  he  had  paid,)  or  that  the 
apprehension  that  arose  to  his  heart  in  regard  to  her  on  whom  he  yearned 
with  all  a  father's  Ibndness  governed  his  conduct,  certain  it  is,  that,  from  the 
hour  of  the  disclosure  made  by  his  son  Colonel  de  Haldiraar  became  an  alter- 
ed man.  Withont  losing  any  thing  of  that  dignity  of  manner,  which  had 
hitherto  been  confounded  with  the  most  repellant  .haughtiness  of  bearing,  his 
demeanor  towards  his  oflRcers  became  more  courteous ;  and  although,  as  here- 
tofore, he  kept  himself  entirely  aloof,  except  when  occasions  of  duty  brt)ught 
them  together,  still,  when  they  did  meet,  there  was  more  of  conciliation  in  his 
manner,  and  less  of  austerity  in  his  speech.  There  was,  moreover  a  dejection 
in  his  eye,  strongly  in  contrast  with  his  forihcr  imperious  glance ;  and  more 
than  one  officer  remarked,  that,  if  his  days  were  devoted  to  the  customary 
practical  arrangement*  for  defence,  his  pallid  countenance  betokened  that  his 
nights  were  nights  rather  of  vigil  than  repose. 

However  natural  and  deep  the  alarm  entertained  for  the  fate  of  the  sister 
fort,  there  could  be  no  apprehension  on  the  mind  of  Colonel  de  Haldiraar  in 
regard  to  his  own ;  since,  furnished  with  the  means  of  foiling  his  enemies 
with  their  own  weapons  of  cunning  and  deceit,  a  few  extraordinary  precau- 
tions alone  were  necessary  to  secure  all  immunity  fiom  danger.  ^Yhatever 
might  be  the  stern  peculiarities  cf  his  character, — and  those  had  originated 
chiefly  in  an  education  purely  military, — Colonel  de  Huldimar  was  an  officer 
well  calculated  to  the  important  trust  reposed  in  him ;  for,  combining  experi- 
ence with  judgment  in  all  matters  relating  to  the  diploinac}'  of  war,  and  being 
fully  conversant  with  the  character  and  habits  of  the  enemy  opposed  to  him, 
he  possessed  singular  aptitude  to  seize  whatever  advantages  might  pi  csr-nt 
themselves. 

The  prudence  and  caution  of  his  policy  have  already  been  made  manilest  in 
the  two  several  council  scenes  with  the  fhiefs  recorded  in  onr  previous  pages. 
It  ma}-  appear  singular,  that,  witli  the  oppoitunity  thus  allbrdcd  him  of  re- 
taining the  formidable  Ponteac, — the  strength  ami  sinew  of  that  long  pro- 
tracted an<l  ferocious  war. — in  his  power,  he  should  have  waived  his  advantage  ; 
but  here  Colonel  dt  Haldiniar  gave  evidence  of  the  tact  which  so  eniinently 
distinguished  his  public  conduct  throughout.  He  well  knew  the  noble,  fear- 
less chanicter  of  the  chief;  and  felt,  if  any  hold  was  to  be  secured  over  him, 
it  was  by  grappling  with  liis  generosity,  and  not  by  the  exercise  of  intimida- 
tion, fivcn  ttdniitting  that  Ponteac  continued  his  prisoner,  and  that  the  troops, 
pouring  their  destructive  fire  upon  the  mass  of  enemies  so  suddenly  arrested 
on  the  drawbridge,  had  swept  away  the  whole,  still  they  were  but  as  a  mite 
the  numerous  nations  that  were  leagued  against  the  English  ;  and  to 


amon;: 


these  nations,  it  was  evident,  they  must,  sooner  or  later,  succumb. 

Colonel  de  Haldimar  knew  enough  of  the  proud  but  generous  nature  of  the 
Ottawa,  to  deem  that  the  policy  he  proposed  to  pursue  in  the  last  councii 
scene  would  not  prove  altogether  without  effect  on  that  warrior.  It  was  well 
known  tn  him,  much  pains  had  been  taken  to  instil  into  the  minds  of  the  In- 
dians iho  belief  that  the  English  were  resolved  on  their  final  extirpation  j  and 


'Hr 


-^'i. 


^ 


i| 


^ 


^82 


^acousta;    or,  ihe   prophkct. 


icK 


\  1 


'I,. 

fit  '  " 


,  fV 


'I  !? 


I 


'4i 
1 1 


I 


■}.i 


as  certam  sbghts,  offtred  to  them  at  various  periods,  had  given  a  coloring  of 
truth  to  this  assertion,  the  formidable  league  which  had  already  accomplished 
the  downfall  of  so  many  of  the  forts  had  been  the  consequence  of  these  artfiu 
representations.  Although  well  aware, that  the  French  had  numerous  emissa- 
ries distributed  among  the  fierce  tribes,  it  was  not  until  after  the  disclosure  mado 
by  the  haughty  Ponteac,  at  the  close  of  the  first  council  scene,  that  he  became 
apprised  of  the  alarming  influence  exercised  over  the  mind  of  that  warrior 
himself  by  his  own  terrible  and  vindictive  enemy.  The  necessity  of  counted 
acting  tl^at  influence  was  obvious  j  and  he  felt  this  was  only  to  bo  done  (if  at 
all)  by  some  marked  and  extraordinary  evidence  of  the  peacefiil  disposition 
of  tie  English.  Ilcnce  his  determination  to  sufier  the  faithless  chiefs  and 
their  followers  to  depart  unharmed  from  the  fort,  even  at  the  moment  when 
the  attitude  assumed  by  the  prepared  garrison  fully  proved  to  the  assailants 
their  designs  had  been  penetrated  and  their  schemes  rendered  abortive. 


•CHAPTER  XXVni. 

•   »■ . 

With  the  general  position  of  the  encampment  of  the  investing  Indians,  the 
reader  has  been  made  acquainted  through  the  narrative  of  Captain-  de  Haldi- 
mar.  It  was,  as  has  been  shown,  situate  in  a  sort  of  oasis  close  within  the 
verge  of  the  forest,  and  (girt  by  an  intervening  underwood  which  nature,  in 
her  caprice,«had  fashioned  after  the  manner  of  a  defensive  barrier)  embraced  a  . 
space  sufficient  to  contain  the  tents  of  the  fighting  men,  together  wijh  their 
women  and  cliildren.  This,  however,  included  the  warriors  and  inferior  chiefs. 
The  tents  of  the  leaders  wore  without  the  belt  of  underwood,  and  principally  " 
distributed  at  long  intervals  on  that  side  of  the  forest  which  skirted  the  open 
country  towards  the  river ;  forming  as  it  were,  a  chain  of  external  defence,  and 
sweeping  in  a  semicircular  directiop  round  the  more  dense  encampment  of 
their  followers.  At  its  highest  elevation  the  forest  shot  out  suddenly  into  a 
point,  naturally  enough  rendered  an  object  of  attraction  from  whatever  part  it 
was  commanded. 

Darkness  was  already  beginning  to  spread  her  mantle  over  the  intervening 
space,  and  the  night-fires  of  the  Indians  were  kindling  into  brightness,  glim- 
mering occasionally  through  the  wood  with  that  pale  and  lambent  light  pecu- 
liar to  the  fire-fly,  of  which  they  offered  a  not  inapt  representation,  when  sud- 
denly a  lofty  tent,  the  brilliant  whiteness  of  which  was  thrown  into  strong  re- 
lief by  the  dark  field  on  which  it  repc^.ed,  was  seen  lo  rise  at  a  few  paces  fi'om 
the  abrupt  point  in  the  forest  just  described,  and  on  the  extreme  summit  of  |i 
ridge  beyond  which  lay  only  the  western  horizon  in  golden  perspective. 

The  opening  of  this  tent  looked  eastward  and  towards  the  fort ;  and  on  its  . 
extreme  summit  floated  a  dark  flag,  which  at  intervals  sf>read  itself  before  the 
slight  evening  breeze,  but  oftcner  hung  drooping  and  heavily  over  the  glitter- 
ing canvass.   One  solitar}'  pine,  whose  trunk  exceeded  not  the  ordinary  thick- 
ness of  a  man's  wais*,  and  standing  out  as  a  landmark  on  the  ridge,  rose  at  ^ 
the  distance  of  a  few  feet  from  the  spot  on  which  the  tent  had  been  erected ;  * 
and  to  this  was  bound  the  tall  and  elegant  fij:;nro  of  one  dressed  in  the  coarse 
garb  of  a  sador.     The  arms  and  legs  of  the  individual  were  perfectly  free ;  but 
a  strong  rope,  rendered  doubly  secure  after  the  mannef  of  what  is  termed 
"whipping"  among  seamen,  after  having  been  tightly  drawn  several  times 
around  his  waist,  and  then  firmly  knotted  behind,  was  again  passed  round  the 
tree,  to  which  the  back  of  the  prisoner  w»s  closely  lashed ;  thus  enabling,  or 
rather  compelling,  him  to  be  a  spectator  of  every  object  within  the  tent. 

Layers  of  bark,  over  which  wer«  spread  the  dressed  skins  of  tlio  bear  and   « 
the  buffalo,  formed  the  floor  and  carpet  of  the  latter;  and  on  tlfcse,  in  various 
parts,  and  in  characteristic  attitudes,  reposed  the  terms  of  three  human  beings^ 


« 


WAeDV9TA;     OR,    l-HE    PROPHECY. 


Crt  )' 


1S3 


^ /one,  the  formidable  warrior  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis.  Attired  in  the  garb  in  which 
we  first  introduced  him  to  our  readers,  and  with  the  same  weapons  reposing 
at  his  side,  the  haughty  savage  lay  at  his  lazy  length ;  his  feet  reaching  be- 

'  yond  the  opening  of  the  tent,  and  his  head  reposing  on  a  rude  pillow  formed 
of  a  closely  compressed  pack  of  skins  of  wild  animals,  over  which  was  spread 
a  sort  of  mantle  or  blanket.  One  hand  was  introduced  between  the  pillow  and 
Ms  head,  the  other  grasped  the  pipe  tomahawk  he^  was  smoking ;  and  while 
the  mechanical  play  of  his  right  foot  indicated  pre-occupdtion  of  thought,  his 
quick  and  meanmg  eye  glanced  frequently  and  alternately  upon  the  furthest 
of  his  companions,  the  prisoner  without,  and  the  distant  fort. 

Within  a  few  feet  of  the  warrior  lay,  extended  on  a  buffalo  skin,  the  dehcata 
figure  of  a  female,  whose  hair,  complexion-,  and  hands,  denoted  her  European 
extraction.  Her  aress  was  entirely  Indian,  however ;  consisting  of  a  machecoti 
with  leggings,  moccassins,  and  shirt  of  printed  cotton  studded  with  silvex 
broaches, — all  of  which  were  of  a  quality  and  texture  to  mark  the  wearer  aa 
the  wife  of  a  chief;  and  her  fair  hair,  done  up  in  a  club  behind,  reposed  on  a 
neck  of  dazzling  whiteness.  -Her  eyes  were  large,  blue,  but  wild  and  unmean* 
ing  J  her  countenance  vacant:  and  her  movements  altogether  mechanical.  A 
wooden  bowl  filled  with  hominy  was  at  her  side ;  and  from  this  she  was  now 
in  the  act  of  feeding  herself  with  a  spoon  of  the  same  material,  buf  with  • 

gegligence  and  slovenliness  that  betrayed  her  almost  utter  unconscio\isnesi 
f  the  action. 
■  At  the  fiirther  side  of  the  tent  there  was  another  woman,  even  more  delicati 
in  appearance  than  the  one  last  mentioned.  She,  too,  was  bluq  eyed,  and  of 
surpassing  fairness  of  skin.  Her  attitude  denoted  a  mind  too  powerfully  ab- 
sorbed in  grief  to  be  heedful  of  appearances ;  for  she  sat  with  her  knees  drawn 
up  to  her  chin,  and  rockftg  her  body  to  and  fro  with  an  undulating  motion 
that  seemed  to  have  its  origin  in  no  effort  of  volition  of  her  pwn.  Her  long 
fair  hair  hung  negligently  over  her  shoulders ;  and  a  blanket  drawn  over  the 
top  of  her  head  like  a  veil,  and  extending  partly  over  the  person,  disclosed  here 
and  there  portions  of  an  apparel  which  was  strictly  European,  although  rent, 
and  exhibiting  in  various  places  stains  of  blood.  A  bowl  similar  ft)  that  of  her 
companion,  and  filled^  with  the  same  food,  was  at  her  side ;  but  this  yras  un- 
tasted. 

"  Why  does  the  girl  refuse  to  eat  ?"  asked  the  warrior  of  her  next  him,  as 
he  fiercely  roljed  a  volume  of  smoke  from  his  lips.  "  Make  her  eat,  for  I 
would  speak  to  her  afterwards." 

"Why  does  the  girl  refuse  to  eatT'  responded  the  woman  in  the  same  tone, 
dropping  her  spoon  as  she  spoke,  and  turning  to  the  object  of  remark  wi^h  a 
vacant  look.  ''  It  is  good,"  she  pursued,  as  she  rudely  shook  the  arm  of,ttie 
heedless  sufferer.     "  Come,  girl,  eat." 

^  A  shriek  burst  from  the  lips  of  the  unhappy  girl,  as,  apparently  roused  from 
'lier  abstraction,  she  suffered  the  blanket  to  fall  from  her  head,  and  staring 
wildly  at  her  questioner,  faintly  demanded, — "  Who,  in  the  name  of  mercy, 
are  you,  who  address  me  in  this  horrid  place  in  my  own  tongue  ?  Speak ; 
who  aixj  you  ?  Surely  1  should  know  that  voice  tor  that  of  Ellen,  the  wife  of 
Frank  Halloway  !'* 

A  maniac  'augh  was  uttered  by  the  wretched  woman.  This  continued  of- 
fensively for  a  moment ;  and  she  observed,  in  an  infuriated  tone  and  with  a 
searching  eye, — "  No,  I  am  not  the  wife  of  Halloway.  It  is  false.  I  am  the 
wife  of  ^^'■acousta.  This  is  my  husband  I"  and  as.  she  spoke  she  sprang  nim- 
bly to  her  feet,  and  was  in  the  next  instant  lying  prostrate  on  tlie  form  of  the 
warrior  j  her  aims  thrown  wildly  around  him,  and  her  lips  imprinting  kissea 
•a  his  cheek. 

But  Wacousta  was  in  no  mood  to  suffer  her  endearnwnts.  lie  for  the  first 
time  seemed  alive  to  the  presence  of  her  wlio  lay  beygnd,  and  to  whoBO  whola 
appearance  a  character  of  animation  had  been  imparted  by  the  temporary  ex- 
otemenfc  of  her  feelings.    Ho  gazed  at  her  a  moment,  with  the  aii*  of  one  *nf 


■''« 


''k. 


*?■: 


«".(.■• 


.1 


ki 


184 


wagousta;  or,  the  frophbct. 


1  w 

MlB 

i 

mH  ■■' 

■deavoring  to  recall  the  memory  of  days  long  gone  by  j  and  as  he  continued  to 
do  so,  his  eye  dilated,  his  chest  heaved,  and  his  countenance  alternately  jQushed 
and  paled.  At  length  he  threw  the  form  that  reposed  upon  his  ovm,  violently, 
and  even  savagely,  from  him ;  sprang  eagerly  to  his  feet ;  and  clearing  the 
space  that  divided  him  from  the  object  of  his  attention  at  a  single  step,  bore 
her  from  the  earth  in  his  arms  with  as  much  ease  as  if  she  had  been  an  infimt 
and  then  returning  to  his  own  rudo  couch,  placed  his  horror-stricken  victim  at 
his.side. 

"Nay,  nay,"  he  urged  sarcastically,  as  sl\e  vainly  struggled  tor  free  hersfelf  j 
"  let  the  De  Haldimar  portion  "of  your  blood  rise  up  in  anger  if  it  will  j  but 
that  of  Clara  Beverley,  at  least " 

"  Gracious  Providence !  w4iere  am  I,  that  I  hear  the  name  of  my  sainted 
mother  thus  familiarly  pronounced  ?"  interrupted  the  startled  girl  j  "  and  who 
are  you, — ,"  turning  her  eyes  wildly  on  the  swarthy  countenance  of  the  war- 
rior,— "  who  are  you",  I  ask,  who,  with  the  mien  and  in  the  garb  of  a  savage 
of  these  forests,  appear  thus  acquainted  with  her  name  ?" 

The  warrior  passed  his  hand  across  his  brow  for  a  moment,  as  if  some 
painful  and  intolerable  reflection  had  been  called  up  by  the  question ;  but 
he  speedily  recovered  his  self-possession,  and  with  an  expression  of  feature 
that  almost  petrified  his  auditor,  vehemently  observed, — 

"  You  ask  who  I  am  !  One  who  knew  your  mother  long  before  the  ac- 
cursed name  of  De  Haldimar  had  ever  been  whispered  in  her  ear ;  and  whom 
love  for  the  one  and  hatred  for  the  other  has  rendered  the  savage  you  naw 
behold !  But,"  he  continued,  while  a  fierce  and  hideous  smile  lighted  up 
every  feature,  "  I  overlook  my  past  sufferings  in  my  present  happiness.  The 
image  of  Clf  ra  Beverley,  even  such  as  my  soul  loved  her  in  its  youth,  is  once 
more  before  me  in  her  child ;  that  child  shall  be  my  wife  I" 

"  Your  wifi !  monster ;  never !"  shrieked  the  unhappy  giirl,  vainly  attempt- 
ing to  disengage  herself  from  the  encircling  arm  of  the  savage.  "  But,"  she 
pursued,  in  a  tone  of  supplication,  while  the  tears  coursed  each  other  down 
her  cheek,  "  if  you  ever  loved  my  mothe»,  as  you  say  you  have,  restore  her 
children  to  their  home ;  and  if  saints  may  be  pcnnitted  to  look  down  irom 
heaven  in  approval  of  the  acts  of  men,  she  ^^om  you  have  loved  will  bless 
you  for  th^  deed." 

A  deep  groan  burst  from  the  vast  chest  of  Wacousta ;  but,  for  a  moment, 
he  answered  notf.  At  length  he  observed,  pomting  at  the  same  time  vdth  hia 
finger  towards  the  cloudless  vault  abpve  their  heads,— "  Do  you  behold  yon 
blue  sky,  Clara  de  Haldimar  ?" 

"  I  do ; — what  mean  you  ?"  demanded  the  trembling  girl,  in  whom  a  mo- 
mentary, hope  had  been  excited  by  the  subdued  mcT:ner  of  the  savage. 

"Nothing,"  he  coolly  rejoined;  "only  that  were  your  poor  mother  to 
appear  there  at  this  moment,  clad  in  all  the  attributes  ascribed  to  angels,  her 
prayer  would  not  alter  the  destiny  that  awaits  you.  Nay,  nay ;  look  not 
thus  sorrowfully,"  he  pursued,  as  in  despite  of  her  efforts  to  prevent  him,  he 
imprinted  a  burning  kiss  upon  her  lips.  "  Even  thus  was  I  once"  wont  to  lin- 
ger on  the  lips  of  your  mother ;  but  hers  ever  pouted  to  be  pressed  by  mine  j 
and  not  with  tears,  but  with  sunniest  smiles  did  she  court  them."  He  paused; 
bent  his  head  over  the  face  of  the  shuddering  girl ;  and  gazing  fixedly  for  a 
few  minutes  on  her  countenance,  while  he  pressed  her  struggling  form  more 
closely  to  his  own,  exukingly  pursued,  as  if  to  himself, — "  Even  as  her  mother 
was,  so  is  she.  Ye  powerc  of  hell !  who  woidd  have  ever  thought  a  time 
would  come, when  both  ray  vengeance  and  my  love  would  be  gratified  to 
the  utmost  1  How  strange  it  never  should  have  occurred  to  me  he  had  a 
daughter !" 

"What  mean  you,  fierce,  unpitying  man  ?"  exclaimed  the  terrified  Clara, 
to  whom  a  full  sense  of  the  horror  of  her  position  had  lent  unusual  energy 
«f  character.    "  Surely  you  will  not  detain  a  poor  defenceless  woman  in  youi 


,^' 


\ 


■41  •^. 

* 


>u.'u//:i^  ' 


♦" 


wacovsta;    or,  the   prophecy. 


185 


»ment,    ,    . 
thhia    '■  \ 
dyon 


to 


Iiands, — the  child  of  her  you  say  you  have  loved.   But  it  is  false ! — you  nSver 
knew  her,  or  you  would  not  reject  my  prayer." 

"Never  knew  her!"  fiercely  repeated  Wacousta.  Again  he  paused. 
**  Would  I  had  never'known  her  land  I  should  not  now  ho  the  outcast  wretch 
I  am," — he  added,  slowly  and  impressively.  Then  once  more  elevating  his 
voice, — "  Clara  de  Haldimar,  I  have  loved  your  mother  as  man  never  loved 
woman  ;  and  I  have  hated  your  father  (grinding  his  teeth  with  fury  as  he 
spoke)  as  man  never  hated  man.  That  love,  that  hatred  are  unquenched 
— unquenchable.  Before  me  I  see  at  once  the  image  of  her  who,  even  in 
death,  has  lived  enshrined  in  my  heart,  and  the  child  of  him  who  is  my  bit- 
terest foe.    Clara  de  Haldimar,  do  you  understand  me  now  ?" 

."  Almighty  Providence  !  is  there  not  one  to  save  me  1 — can  nothing  touch 
your  stubborn  heart?"  exclaimed  the  aflfrighted  girl;  and  she  turned  her 
swimming  eyes  on  those  of  the  warrior,  in  appeal ;  but  nis  glance  caused  her 
own  to  sink  in  confusion.  *'  Ellen  Hallo  way,"  she  pursued,  after  a  moment's 
pause,  and  in  the  wild  accents  of  despair, "  if  jr>\x  are  indeed  the  wife  of  this 
man,  as  yOu  say  you  are,  oh!  plead  for  me  with  him  j  and  in  the  name  of 
that !  Iness  which  I  once  extended  to  yourself,  prevail  on  him  to  restore  me 
to  n     ..ither !" 

"  Ellen  HalloWay  ! — who  calls  Ellen  Halloway  ?"  said  the  wretched  woman, 
who  had  again  resumed  her  slovenly  meSl  on  the  rude  couch,  apparently 
without  conscioijsness  of  the  scene  enacting  at  her  side.  "  I  am  not  Ellen 
•Halloway:  they  said  so;  but  it  is  not  true.  My  husband  was  Reginald 
Morton :  but  he  went  for  a  soldier,  and  was  killed ;  and  I  never  saw  him 
more." 

"  Reginald  Morton !  What  mean  you,  woman  ?  What  know  you  of 
Reginald  Morton  ?**  demanded  Wacousta,  with  frightful  energy,  as,  leaning, 
over  the  shrinking  form  of  Clara,  he  violently  grasped  and  shook  the  shoulder 
of  the  unhappy  maniac. 

"Stop;  do  not  hurt  me,  and  I  will  tell  you  all,  sir,"  sho  almost  screamed, 
"  Oh,  sir,  Reginald  Morton  was  my  husband  once ;  but  he  was  kinder  than 
you  are.    He  did  not  look  so  fiercely  at  me ;  nor  did  he  pinch  me  so." 

"  What  of  him  ? — ^who  was  he  ?"  furiously  repeated  Wacoust#,  as  he  again 
impatiently  shook  the  arm  of  the  wretched  Ellen.  "  Where  did  you  know 
him  t    Whence  came  he  ?" 

"  Nay,  you  must  not  be  jealous  of  poor  Reginald :"  and,  as  she  uttered 
these  words  in  a  softening  and  conciliating  tone,  her  'eye  was  turned  upon 
those  of  the  warrior  with  a  mingled  expression  of  fear  and  cunning.  "  But 
lie  was  very  good  and  very  handsome,  and  generous;  and  we, lived  near 
each  other,  and  we  loved  each  other  at  first  sight.  But  his  family  were 
very  proud,  and  they  quarrelled  with  him  because  he  married  me ;  and  then 

we  became  very  poor,  and  Reginald  went  for  a  soldier,  and' ;  but  I,forget 

the  rest,  it  is  so  long  agp."  She  pressed  her  hand  to  her  brow,  and  sank  her 
head  upon  her  chest. 

"  Ellen,  woman,  again  I  ask  you  where  he  came  from  ?  this  Reginald  Mor- 
ton that  you  have  named,.    To  what  country  did  he  belong  ?" 

"  Oh,  we  were  both  Cornish,"  she  answered,  with  a  vivacity  singularly  m 
contrast  with  her  recent  low  and  monotonous  tone ;  "  but,  as  I  said  before,  he 
was  of  a  great  family,  and  I  only  a  poor  clergyman's  daughter." 

"Cornish ! Cornish,  did  you  say?"  fiercely  repeated  the  dark  Wacousta, 

while  an  expression  of  loathing  and  disgust  seemed  for  a  moment  to  convulse 
his  features ;  "  then  is  it  as  I  had  feared.  One  word  more.  Was  the  family 
seat  called  Morton  Castle  1" 

"  It  was,"  unhesitatingly  returned  the  poor  woman,  yet  with  the  air  of  one 
wondering  to  hear  a  name  repeated,  long  forgotten  even  by  herself.  "  It  waa 
a  beautiful  castle  too,  on  a  lovely  ridge  of  hills ;  and  it  commanded  such  a 

nice  view  of  the  sea,  close  to  the  little  port  of }  and  the  parsonage  stood 

in  such  a  sweet  valley,  close  under  the  castle ;  and  we  were  all  so  happy."   She 


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186 


waoousta;    or, the    frofmbot. 


■.rf  >:♦ 


tU 


X 


SKOsedj  again  pxit  her  hand  to  her  bnw,  and  pressed  it  with  force,  as  if  en* 
cavormg  to  pui'sue  the  chain  of  comnection  in  her  memory,  but  evidently 
without  success. 

"  And  ybiir  father's  name  was  Clayton  V*  said  the  warrior  inquiringly. 
«  Henry  Clayton,  if  I  recollect  aright  t" 

"  Ha !  who  names  my  father?"  shrieked  the  wretched  woman.  "Tes.  sir, 
it  was  Clayton — Henry  Clayton — the  kindest,  the  noblest  of  human  bemgs. 
But  the  affliction  of  his  child,  and  the  persecutions  of  the  Morton  family, 
,  broke  his  heart.  Ho  is  dead,  sir,  and  Reginald  is  dead  too ;  and  I  am  a  poor 
lone  widow  in  the  world,  and  have  no  oiio  to  love  me."  Here  tho  tears  cours- 
ed each  other  rapidly  down  her  faded  cheeks,  although  her  cye3  were  staring 
and  motionless. 

"  It  is  false !"  vociferated  the  warrior,  who,  now  he  had  gained  all  that  was 
•  essential  to  the  elucidation  of  his  doubts,  quitted  the  sjioulder  he  had  con- 
tinned  to  press  with,  violence  in  his  nervous  hand,  and  once  more  extended 
himself  at  his  length ;  "  in  me  you  behold  tho  uncle  of  your  husband.  Yes, 
.Ellen  Clayton,  you  have  been  the  wife  of  two  Reginald  Mortons.  Both,"  he 
pursued  with  unutterable  bitterness^  while  he  again  started  up  and  shook  his 
tomahawk  menacingly  in  the  direction  of  the  fort,—"  both  have  been  the  vic- 
tims of  yon  cold-blooded  governor ;  but  the  hoiu:  of  reckoning  is  at  hand. 
Ellen,"  he  fiercely  added,  '•  do  you  recollect  the -curse  yoi\  pronounced  on  the 
family  of  that  haughty  man,  when  he  slaughtered* your  Reginald?  By 
Heaven !  it  shall  bo  fulnlled ;  but  first  shall  the  love  I  have  so  long  borne  the 
mother  be  transferred  to  the  child." 

Again  he  sought  to  encircle  the  waist  of  her  whom,  in  the  strong  excite* 
ment  of  his  rage,  ho  had  momentarily  quitted ;  but  the  unutterable  disgnst 
and  horror  produced  in  the  mind  of  the  unhappy  Clara  lent  an  almost  super- 
natural  activity  to  her  despair.  She  dciterously  eluded  his  grasp,  gained  her 
feet,  and  with  tottering  steps  and  outstretched  arms  darted  through  the  tent, 
and  piteously  exclaiming,  "  Save  me !  oh,  for  God's  ^ake,  save  me !"  sank  ex« 
haustcd,  and  apparently  lifeless,  on  tho  chest  of  the  prisoner  without. 

To  suchaof  our  readers  as,  ueceived  by  the  romantic  nature  of  the  attach- 
ment stated  to  have  been  originally  entertained  by  Sir  Everard  Yolletort  fbr 
the  unseen  sister  of  his  friend,  have  been  led  to  expect  a  tale  abounding  in 
manifestations  of  its  progress  when  the  parties  had  actually  met,  we  at  once 
announce  disappointment.  Neither  ihe  lover  of  amorous  adventure,  nor  the 
admirer  of  witty  dialogue,  should  dive  into  these  passages.  Room  for  the  ex- 
ercise of  tho  invention  might,  it  is  true,  be  found;  but  ours  Is  a  talc  of  sad  re- 
lUity,  and  our  heroes  and  heroines  figure  under  eircumstanccs  that  would  ren- 
der wit  a  satire  upon  the  understanding,  and  lovo  a  reflection  upon  the  heart. 
Within  the  bounds  of  probability  have  we,  therefore,  confined  ourselves. 

What  the  feelings  of  the  young  baronet  mu.st  have  been,from  the  first  moment 
when  he  received  from  the  hands  of  the  uufortunate  Captain  Baynton,  (who. 
although  an  otlicer  of  his  own  corps,  was  personally  a  stranger  to  him,)  that 
cherished  sister  of  his  friend,  on  whose  ideal  form  hu  excited  imagination  had 
BO  often  latterly  loved  to  linger,  up  to  the  present  hour,  we  should  vainly  at* 
tempt  to  paint.  There  are  emotions  of  the  heart,  it  would  be  mockery  in  the 
pen  to  truce.  From  tho  instant  of  his  first  contributing  to  preserve  her  lifb, 
on  that  dreadful  day  of  blood,  to  that  when  the  schooner  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  savages,  fuw  words  hau  passed  between  them,  and  tnese  had  reference 
merely  to  the  poHition  in  which  they  found  themselves,  and  wbSnever  Sir  Eve- 
nrd  Uil^hc  could,  without  indelicacy  or  intrusion,  render  himself  in  the  slight- 
est way  serviceable  to  her.  The  very  chxiumstances  under  which  they  nad 
met.  conduced  to  the  suppression,  if  not  utter  extinction,  of  all  passion  attach* 
.  ed  {o  the  sentiment  with  which  he  had  been  inspired.  A  new  feelins;  had 
quickened  in  his  breast ;  and  it  was  with  emotions  more  assimilated  to  fricnd- 
snip  than  to  luve  tUat  ho  now  regarded  tho  beautiful  but  sorrow-stricken  sHh 
ter  of  his  bosom  friend.    Still  there  was  a  soilness,  a  purity,  a  delicacy  and 


aoousta;    or,  the   pk^puect. 


187 


loment 

l(who, 

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pr  lifc, 

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Etq- 

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lad 

ttadi- 

,  had 

Fiend- 

hsHh 

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t 


tenderness  in  this  new  feeling,  in  which  the  influence  of  sex  secretly  though 
onacknowledgedly  predominated ;  and  even  while  sensible  it  would  have  been 
a  profanation,  of  everything  most  sacred  and  delicate  in  nature  to  have  admit- 
ted  a  thought  of  Ibve  wiHiin  his  breast  at  such  a  moment,  ho  also  felt  he 
could  hitve  entertained  a\oluptuous  joy  in  making  any  sacrifice,  even  to  the 
surrender  of  life  itself,  provided  the  tranquillity  of  that  gentle  and  suffering 
being  could  be  by  it  ensured. 

Ouaa.,  in  her  turn,  haJ  been  in  no  condition  to  admit  so  exclusive  a  power 
as  that  of  love  within  her  soul.  She  had,  it  is  true,'  even  amid  the  desolation 
of  her  shattered  spirit,  recognised  in  the  j'oung  officer  the  original  of  a  por- 
trait so  frequently  drawn  by  her  brother,  and  dwelt  on  by  herself.  She  ao- 
knowledgcd,  moreover,  the  fidelity  of  the  painting :  but  howevei*  she  might 
have  felt  and  acted  imacr  different  circumstances,  absorbed  as  was  her  hear^ 
and  paralysed  her  imagination,  by  the  harrowing  scenes  she  had  gone  through, 
she,  too,  had  room  but  for  one  sentiment  in  her  fainting  soul,  and  that  was 
friendship  for  the  friend  of  her  brother ;  on  whom,  moreover,  she  bestowed 
that  woman's  gi'utitude,  which  couid  not  fail  to  be  awakened  by  a  recollection 
of  the  risks  he  had  encountered,  conjointly  with  Frederick,  to  save  her  from 
destruction.  During  their  passage  across  the  Huron,  Sir  Everard  had  usually 
taken  his  scat  on  the  deck,  ai  that  rei^ctful  distance  which  he  conceived  the 
ddicacy  of  the  position  of  the  unfortunate  cousins  demanded ;  but  in  such  a 
manner  that,  while  he  seemed  wholly  abstracted  from  them,  his  eye  had  more 
than  once  been  detected  by  Clara  fixed  on  hers,  with  an  affectionatencss  of 
biterest  she  could  not  avoid  repaying  with  a  glance  of  recognition  and  approval. 
These,,  however,  were  the  only  indications  of  regard  that  had  passed  between 
them. 

If,  however,  a  momentary  and  irrepressible  flashing  of  that  sentiment, 
whieh  had,  at  an  earlier  period,  formed  a  portion  of  their  imaginings^  did  oc- 
casionally steal  over  their  hearts  while  there  was  a  prospect  of  reaching  their 
friends  in  safety,  all  manifestation  of  its  power  was  again  finally  suppressed 
when  the  schooner  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  savages.  Become  the  immediate 
prisoners  of  Wacousta,  they  had  been  siurendered  to  that  feroeious  chief  to 
bo  dealt  with  as  he  might  think  proper ;  and  on  disembarking  from  the  canoe 
hi  which  their  transit  to  the  mainland  had  been  descried  that  morning  from 
the  fortj  had  been  separated  from  their  eaually  unfortunate  and  suffering 
companions.  Captain  de  Haldimar,  Madeline,  and  the  Canadian,  were  de- 
livered over  to  the  custody  of  several  choice  warriors  of  the  tribe  in  which 
Wacousta  was  adopted ;  and,  bound,  hand  and  foot,  were  at  that  moment  in 
the  war-tent  of  the  fierce  savage,  which,  as  Pontcoc  had  once  boasted  to  the 
governor,  was  evei^where  hung  around  with  human  scales,  both  of  men,  of 
women,  and  of  children.  The  object  of  this  mysterious  man,  in  removing 
Clara  to  the  spot  we  have  described,  was  one  well  worthy  of  his  ferocious  na- 
ture. His  vengeance  had  already  devoted  her  to  destruction ;  and  it  was 
within  view  of  the  fort,  which  contained  the  father  whom  he  loathed,  he  had 
resolved  his  purpose  should  be  aooeroplished.  A  refinement  of  cruelty,  such 
as  could  scarcely  have  been  supposed  to  enter  the  breast  even  of  such  a  re- 
morseless savage  as  hiidself,  had  caused  him  to  convey  to  the  same  spot,  him 
whom  he  rather  suspected  than  knew  to  be  the  lover  of  the  young  girl.  It 
was  with  the  view  or  harro.ving  up  the  soul  of  one  whom  he  had  recognised 
as  the  ofllcer  who  had  disabled  liim  on  the  night  of  the  rencontre  on  tlMkbridgo, 
ihat  ho  had  hpund  Sir  Everard  to  the  tree,  whence,  bs  wo  have  already  statML 
he  wo^  a  compellod  sjpectator  of  everything  that  passed  within  the  tent ;  ana 
yet  with  that  (no  action  of  limb  which  only  tended  to  tantalise  him  the  more 
amid  his  uuavoidablo  efforts  to  rid  himself  of  his  bonds, — a  fact  that  proved 
not  only  the  dire  extent  to  which  the  revenge  of  Wacousta  could  bo  ctirried, 
but  thb.actual  and  gratuitous  cruelty  of  his  nature. 

One  must  have  been  similarly  circumstarced  to  understand  all  the  agony 
of  the  young  man  during  this  odious  scone  and  particularly  at  the  fierce  and 


r 


r 

1  ■ 


fe-J 


i 


188 


o 


Wacousja-;  or,  the  prophbot. 


repeated  declarations  of  the  savage  that  Clara  should  be  his  bride.  Mon 
than  once  had  he  essayed  to  rcmoTe  the  ligatures  which  confined  his  waist ; 
but  his  unsuccessful  attempts  only  drew  an  occasional  pmile  x>f  derision  from 
his  enemy,  as  he  glanced  his  eye  rapidly  toward^  him.  Conscious  at  length 
of  the  inutility  of  efforts,  which^  without  benefitmg  her  for  whom  they  were 
principally  prompted,  rendered  him  in  some  degree  ridiculous  even  in  his  own 
eyes,  the  wretched  Vallctort  desisted  altogether,  and  with  his  head  simk  upon 
us  chest,  and  his  eyes  closed,  sought  at  least  to  shut  out  a  scene  ^hich  blasted 
his  sight,  and  harrowed  up  ms  very  soul. 

But  wnen  Clara,  uttering  her  wild  cry  for  protection,  and  rushing  furth  from 
the  tent,  sank  almost  unconsciously  in  his  embrace,  a  thrill  of  mexpb'cable 
Joy  ran  through  each  awakened  ^hTo  of  his  fhime.  Bending  eagerly  for- 
ward^ he  had  extended  his  arms  to  receive  her ;  and  when  he  felt  her  light 
and  graceful  form  pressing  upon  his  own  as  its  last  refuge-^when  he  felt  her 
heart  beating  against  his — when  he  saw  her  drooping  on  his  shoulder,  in  the 
wild  recklessness  of  despair,— even  amid  that  scene  of  desolation  and  grief  he 
could  not  help  enfolding  her  in  tumultuous  ecstasy  to  his  breast.  Every  hor- 
rible danger  was  for  an  instant  forgotten  in  the  soothing  consciousness  that 
he  at  length  encircled  the  form  of  her,  whom  in  many  an  hour  of  solitude  he 
had  thus  pictured,  although  under  far  diffei  •  nt  circumstances,  reposing  con- 
fidingly on  him.  There  was  delight  mingled  with  agony  in  his  sei^sotion  of  the 
wild  tlirob  of  her  bosom  against  his  own ;  and  even  while  his  soul  fainted 
within  him,  as  he  reflected  on  the  fate  that  awaited  her,  he  felt  as  if  he  could 
himself  now  die  more  happily. 

Momentary,  however,  was  the  duration  of  this  scene.  Furious  with  anger 
at  the  evident  disgust  of  his  victim,  Wacousta  no  sooner  saw  her  sink  into 
the  arms  of  her  lover,  than  with  that  agility  for  which  he  was  remarkable, 
he  was  again  on  his  feet,  and  stood  in  the  next  instant  at  her  side.  Uniting 
to  the  generous  strength  of  his  manhood  all  that  was  wrun^  fiom  his  minglea 
love  and  despair,  the  officer  clasped  his  hand  round  the  waist  of  the  drooping 
jpiara ;  and  with  clenched  teeth,  and  feet  firmly  set,  seemed  resolved  to  defy 
^rery  effo^l  of  the  warrior  to  remove  her.  Not  a  word  was  uttered  on  either 
side }  but  in  the  fierce  smile  that  curled  the  lip  of  the  savage,  there  spoke  a 
language  even  more  terrible  than  the  words  that  smile  implieo.  Sir  Everard 
oould  not  suppress  an  involuntary  shudder  |  and  when  at  length  Wacousta. 
after  a  short  but  violent  struggle,  succeeded  in  again  securing  and  bearing  off 
his  prize,  the  wretchedness  of  6oul  of  the  former  was  indescribable. 

"  lou  see  His  vain  to  struggle  against  your  destiny,  Clara  de  Ilaldimar," 
•necred  the  warrior  "  Ours  is  but  a  rude  nuptial  couch^t  is  true ;  but  the 
wife  of  an  Indian  chief  must  not  expect  the  luxuries  o£  Europe  in  the  heart 
of  an  American,  wilderness." 

"  Almighty  Heaven  rvhere  am  I  ?"  exclaimed  the  wretched  girl,  again  uiw 
dosing  her  eyes  to  all  the  horror  of  her  position ;  for  again  she  lAy  at  the 
aide,  and  within  the  encircling  ai;m,  of  her  enemy.  "  Oh,  Sir  Everard  Valle* 
tort,  I  thought  I  was  with  you,  and  that  you  had  saved  me  from  this  monster. 
Where  is  my  brother  ? — Where  are  Frederick  and  Madeline  ? — Why  have  they 
desra^ed  me  ? — Ah  t  my  heart  will  break.  I  cannot  endure  this  longer,  and  lire/* 
"  Clara.  Miss  de  Haldimar,"  groaned  Sir  Everard,  in  a  voice  of^  searching 
agony;  "could  I  lay  down  my  life  for  you,  1  would;  but  you  660  these 
bonds.  Oh  Qod  1  oh  Qod  I  have  pity  on  the  innocent ;  and  for  once  incline 
the  heart  of  yon  fierce  monster  to  the  whisperings  of  mercy."  ^  As  he  uttered 
the  last  sentence,  ho  attempted  to  sink  on  his  knees  in  supplication  to  Him  ho 
addressed,  but  the  tension  of  the  cord  prevented  him ;  yet  were  his  hands 
dasped,  and  his  eyes  upraised  to  heaven,  while  his  coimtenance  beamed  with 
an  expression  of  fervent  enthusiasm. 

"  Peace,  babbler  1  or,  by  Heaven  I  that  prayer  shall  be  your  lastT*  vocife- 

■>Tated  Wacousta.    "  But  no,"  he  pursued  to  himself,  dropping  at  the  samo 

lime  thi3  poLat  of  his  toalihawk ;  "  these  are  but  the  natural  writhiags  of  tho 


r^f 


waoousta;    or,  tab  prophkct. 


180 


■J 


emshed  worm ;  and  the  longer  protracted  they  are,  the  more  complete  will  bo 
my  vengeance."  Then  turning  to  the  terrified  girl, — "  You  ask,  Clara  de  Hal- 
dimar,  where  you  are  ?  In  the  tent  of  your  mother's  lover,  I  reply, — at  the 
side  of  him  who  once  pressed  her  to  his  heart,  even  as  I  now  press  you,  and 
with  a  fondness  that  was  only  equalled  by  her  own.  "Come,  dear  Clara,** 
and  his  voice  a.s8umed  a  tone  of  tenderness  that  was  even  more  revolting  than 
his  natural  ferocity,  "  let  me  woo  you  to  the  affection  she  once  possessed.  It 
was  a  heart  of  fire  in  which  her  image  stood  enshrined,— it  is  a  heart  of  fire 
still,  and  well  worthy  of  her  child." 

"Never,  never !"  shrieked  the  agonised  girl.  "Kill  me,  murder  me,  if  yon 
will ;  but  oh !  if  you  have  pity,  pollute  not  my  ear  with  the  avowal  of  your 
detested  love.  But  again  I  repeat,  it  is  false  that  my  mother  ever  knew  you. 
She  never  could  have  loved  so  fierce,  so  vindictive  a  being  as  yourself," 

"  Ha!  do  you  doubt  me  still?"  sternly  demanded  the  savage.  Then  draw* 
ing  the  shuddering  girl  still  closer  to  his  vast  chest, — "  Come  hither,  Clara, 
while  to  convince  you  I  unfold  the  sad  history  of  my  life,  and  tell  you  more 
of  your  parcftts  than  you  have  ever  known.  When,"  he  pursued  solemnly 
"  you  have  learnt  the  extent  of  my  love  for  the  one,  and  my  hatred  for  the 
other,  and  the  wrongs  I  have  endured  from  both,  you  will  po  longer  wonder 
at  the  spirit  of  mingled  lov^  and  vengeance  that  dictates  my  conduct  towards 
yourself.  Listen,  girl,"  he  continued  fiercely.  "  and  judge  whether  mine  are 
B^uries  to  bo  taincly  pardoned,  when  a  whole  life  nas  boen  devoted  to  the 
pursuit  of  the  means  of  avenging  them." 

Irresistibly  led  by  a  dnire  to  know  what  possible  connection  could  have 
existed  between  her  parents  and  this  singular  and  ferocious  man,  the  wretched 
girl  gave  her  passive  assent.  She  even  hoped  that,  in  the  course  of  his  nar- 
rative, some  soflening  reflections  would  pass  over  his  mind,  the  effect  of  which 
might  be  to  predispose  him  to  mercy.  Wacousta  buried  his  face  for  a  few 
raoments  in  his  large  hand,  as  if  endeavoring  to  collect  and  concentrate  the 
romembranccs  of  past  years.  His  countenance,  meanwhile,  had  undergone  a 
change ;  for  there  was  now  a  shade  of  melancholy  mixed  with  the  fierceness 
of  expression  usually  observable  there.  This,  however,  was  dispell -hI  in  the 
course  of  his  narrative,  and  as  various  opposite  passions  were  in  turh  pbwer< 
ftilly  and  severally  developed.  ^ 


■n\ 


*, 


1i.il 
(III 

i 


Imar,'* 

it  the 
Ibeart 


they 


.    *    .  .  CHAPTER  XXIX.  '      • 

.  "  It  is  now  four  and  twenty  years,"  commenced  Wacousta,  *  since  your  father 
•nd  myself  first  met  as  subalterns  in  the  regiment  ho  now  coramnnds,  when 
an  intimacy  suddenly  sprang  up  between  us,  which,  as  it  was  then  to  our 
brother  officers,  has  since  been  a  source  of  utter  astonishment  to  myself.  Ho^ 
all  coldness,  prudence,  obsequiousness,  and  forethought.  I,  all  enthusiasm, 
carelessness,  impetuosity^  ana  independence.  Whether  this  intimancy  sprang 
from  the  auvcntitious  circumstance  of  our  being  more  frequently  thrown  to- 
gether as  officers  of  the  same  company, — for  we  were  both  attached  to  the 
grenadiers. — or  that  ray  wild  spirit  was  soothed  by  the  bland  amenity  of  his 
manners,  1  know  not.  The  latter,  however,  is  not  improbable ;  for  proud  and 
hauffhty  and  dignified,  as  the  colonel  noto  is,  such  was  not  then  the  character 
of  the  ensign ;  wlw)  seemed  thrown  out  of  one  of  nature's  supplest  moulds. 
to  fawn,  and  cringe,  and  worm  his  way  to  favor  by  the  wily  speciousness  of 
his  manners.  Oh  God  !"  pursued  Wacousta,  after  a  momentary  pause,  and 
striking  his  palm  against  his  forehead,  '  that  I  ever  shouM  liave  been  the  dupe 
of  such  a  cold-blooded  hypocrite  i 

"  Aa  you  have  Just  learnt.  Cornwall  is  the  country  of  my  birth.    I  was  the 
«ldeat  of  the  only  two  surviving 'children  of  a  large  family ;  and,  as  heir  to 


190 


waoovsta;  or«  thx  prophsoY. 


m 


'    -tfi: 


'.I't 


m 


% 


■■^  '^'^ 


hii 


ihe  baronetcy  of  the  proud  Mortons,  was  looked  up  to  by  lord  and  vassal  u 
the  future  perpetuator  of  the  family  name.  My  brother  had  been  designed 
for  the  army ;  but  as  this  was  a  profession  to  which  I  had  attached  my  incU- 
nations,  the  point  was  waived  in  my  favor,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  I  fiivfc 
Joined  the  •  regiment,  then  quartered  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland. 

During  my  boyhood  I  had  ever  accustomed  myself  to  athletic  exercises,  and 
loved  to  excite  myself  by  encountering  danger  in  its  most  terrific  forms. 

"  The  wild  daring  by  which  my  boyhood  had  been  marked  was  powerfully 
awakened  by  the  bold  and  romantic  sceneiy  of  the  Scottish  Highlands ;  and 
as  the  regiment  was  at  that  time  quartered 'in  a  part  of  those  mountainous 
districts,  where,  from  the  disturbed  nature  of  the  times,  society  was  difficult 
of  attainment,  many  of  the  officers  were  driven  from  necessity,  aft  I  was  from 
choice,  to  indulge  in  the  sports  of  the  chase.  On  one<occasion  a  party  of  four 
of  us  set  out  early  in  the  morning  in  pursuit  of  deer,  numbers  of  which  we 
knew  were  to  be  met  with  in  the  mountainous  tracts  of  Bute  and  Argyleshire. 
The  course  wo  happened  to  take  lay  through  a  succession  of  deep  dark  glens, 
and  over  frowning  rocks ;  the  difficulties  of  access  to  which  only  stirred  up 
my  dormant  spirit  of  enterprise  the  more.  We  had  continued  in  this  course 
for  many  hours,  overcoming  one  difficulty  only  to  be  encountered  by  anotiier, 
and  yet  without  meeting  a  single  deer ;  when,  at  length,  the  faint  blast  of  a 
horn  was  heard  far  above  our  heads  in  the  distance,  and  presently  a  noble  stag 
was  seen  to  asj^^nd  a  ledge  of  rocks  immediately  in  front  of.  us.  To  raise  mr 
eun  to  my  shoulder  and  fire  was  the  work  of  a  moment  after  which  we  ail 
K>llowcd  m  pursuit^  On  reaching  the  spot  where  the  de#  had  first  been  seen, 
we  observed  traces  of  blood,  satisfying  us  he  had  been  wounded ;  but  the  course 
taken  in  his  flight  was  one  that  seemed  to  defy  every  human  effort  to  follow 
in.  It  was  a  narrow  pointed  ledge,  ascending  boldly  towards  a  huge  diff 
that  projected  frowningly  from  the  extreme  summit,  and  on  either  side  lay  a 
dark,  deep,  and  apparently  fathomless  ravine ;  to  look  even  on  which  was  suf* 
ficient  to  appal  the  stoutest  heart,  and  unnerve  the  steadiest  brain.  For  me. 
however,  long  .accustomed  to  dangers  of  the  sort  it  had  no  terror.  I  haa 
proceeded  .about  five  hundred  yar^  further,  when  I  caihe  to  the  termination 
of  the  ledge,  from  the  equally  narrow  transverse  extremity  of  which  branch^ 
ed  out  three  others :  the  whole  contributing  to  form  a  figure  resembling  that 
of  a^ trident.  Along  the  ledge  I  had  quitted  I  had  remarked  odciUiional  traces 
where  the  stricken  deer  had  passed ;  and  the  same  blood-spots  now  directed 
me  a^a  point  where,  but  for  these,  I  must  have  been  utterly  at  fault.  The 
centre  of  these  new  ridges,  and  the  narrowest,  was  that  taken  by  the  animal, 
and  on  that  I  once  more  renewed  my  pursuit  I  continued  my  course  towards 
the  main  body  of  rock  that  now  rose  within  a  hundred  yards.  How  this 
was  to  be  gained  I  knew  not ;  for  it  shelved  out  abruptly  from  the  extreme 
summit,  overhanging  the  abyss,  and  presenting  an  appeiarance  which  I  cannot 
more  properly  render  tnan  by  comparing  it  to  the  sounding  boards  placed 
over  the  pulpits  of  our  English  churches.  Still  I  was  resolved  to  persevere 
to  the  close,  and  I  but  too  unhappily  succeeded. 

"  It  was  evident  to  me  that  there  must  be  some  opening  through  which  thct* 
deer  had  effected  his  escape  to  the  precipitous  heights  above ;  and  I  felt  a  wild 
and  fearful  triumph  in  following  him  to  his  cover,  over  parses  which  it  was 
my  pleasure  to  thmk  none  of  the  hardy  mountaineers  themtelves  would  have 
dared  to  venture  upon  with  impunity.  I  paused  not  to  consider  of  the  diffl« 
culty  of  bearing  away  my  prize,  even  if  I  succeeded  in  overtaking  it.  At  every 
step  mv  excitement  and  determination  became  stronger,  and  I  Mt>cvery  fibre 
of  my  fralne  !b  dilate,  as  when,  in  my  more  boyish  days.  I  used  to  brave,  in 
my  gallant  skiff",  the  mingletl  fury  of  the  warring  elements  of  sea  and  storm. 
Suddenlv,  while  my  mind  wM  intent  only  on  the  dangers  I  used  then  to  hold 
in  such  light  estimation,  I  found  my  further  progress  intercepted  by  a  fissure 
in  the  craig.  It  was  nul  the  width  of  this  openmg  that  disconcerted  mo,  for 
it  ezcoodcd  not  ten  fout ;  but  I  came  upon  it  so  untulvisedly,  that,  in  attempt- 


4,f 


>'- 


Hf 


^*  ' 


thcf 
[wild 


wacousta;    or,  the   prophecy. 


101 


ing  to  check  my  forward  motion,  I  had  nearly  lost  my  equipoise,  and  faHen  into 
the  ftbyss  that  now  yawned  bewre  on  either  side  of  me.    To  pause  upon  the 


my  balance  with  the  other.  At  this  point  the  rock  became  gradually  broadoi^ 
so  that  I  now  trod  the  remainder  of  the  rude  path  in  perfect  security,  until  I 
at  length  fbund  myself  close  to  the  vast  mass  of  which  these  ledges  were  merely 
ramifications  or  veins:  but  still  I  could  discover  no  outlet  by  which  the 
wounded  deer  could  have  escaped.  While  I  lingered,  thoughtfully,  for  a  mo- 
ment, half  in  disappointment,  half  in  anger,  and  with  my  back  leaning  against 
the  rock,  I  fancied  I  heard  a  rustling,  as  of  the  leaves  and  branches  of  imdcr* 
wood,  on  that  part  which  projected  like  a  canopy,  far  above  the  abyss.  I  bent 
my  eyes  eagerly  and  fixedly  on  the  spot  whence  the  sound  proceeded,  and  pre- 
sently could  distinguish  the  blue  sky  appearing  through  an  aperture,  to  which 
was,  the  instant  afterwards,  applied  what  I  conceived  to  be  a  human  face.  No 
sooner,  however,  was  it  seen  than  withdrawn ;  tind  then  the  rustling  of  leaves 
was  heard  again,  and  all  was  still  as  before. 

"  A  new  direction  was  now  given  to  my  feelings.  I  felt  a  presentiment  that 
my  adventure,  if  prosecuted,  would  t^ininate  in  some  extraordinary  and  char- 
acteristic manner :  and  obeying,  as  I  ever  did,  the  first  impulse  of  my  heart.  I 
prepared  to  grapple  once  more  with  the  difficulties  that  yet  remained  to  oo 
surmounted.  Securing  my  gun  between  some  twisted  roots  that  grew  otit  of 
and  adhered  to  the  main  body  of  the  rock,  I  commenced  the  difficult  assent } 
and,  after  considerable  efibrt,  found  myself  at  length  immediately  under  the 
aperture.  .  My  progress  along  the  lower  superficies  of  this  projection  was  like 
that  of  a  •crnwhng  reptile.  My  back  hang  suspended  over  the  chasm,  into 
which  one  false  movement  of  hand  or  foot,  one  yielding  of  the  roots  entwined' 
in  the  rock  jnust  inevitably  have  precipitated  me ;  and,  while  my  toes  wormed 
themselves  into  the  tortuous  fibres  of  the  latter,  I  passed  hand  over  hand  be- 
yond my  head,  until  I  had  arrived  within  a  foot  or  two  of  the  point  I  desired 
to  reach.  Hero  however,  a  new  difficulty  occured.  A  slight  projection  of  the 
rock,  close  to  the  aperture,  impeded  my  further  progress  in  the  manner  hith- 
erto pursued ;  and,  to  pass  this,  I  was  compellea  to  drop  my  whole  weight, 
suspended  by  one  vigorous  arm,  while,  with  the  other,  I  separated  the  bushes 
that  concealed  the  opening.  A  violent  exertion  of  every  muscle  now  impelled 
mo  upward,  until  at  length  I  had  so  far  succeeded  as  to  introduce  my  head 
and  shoulders  througth  tho  aperture ;  after  which  my  final  success  was  lio 
longer  doubtful." 

One  of  those  painful  pauses  with  which  his  narrative  was  often  broken,  hero 
occurred;  and.  with  an  energy  that  terrified  her  whom  he  addressed,  Wocousta 
pursued. — 'K/lara  de  Haldimar,  it  was  here — in  this  garden — 4his  paradise— 
this  oasis  of  the  rocks  in  which  I  noiW  found  myself,  that  I  first  saw  and  loved 
your  mother.  Ila !  you  start:  you  believe  me  now.  Loved  her !"  he  continued, 
after  another  short  pause—"  oh,  what  a  feeble  word  is  love  to  express  the  con- 
centration of  migl^ty  feelings  that  flowed  like  burning  lava  through  my  veins! 
Who  shall  protend  to  give  a  name  to  the  emotion  that  ran  thrillingly — madly 
through  my  excited  frame,  when  first  I  ga7.e<l  on  her.  who,  in  every  attribute 
of  womanly  beauty,  realised  all  my  fondest  fancy  ever  painted  ? — Listen  to 
me,  Olora,''  he  pursued,  in  a  fiercer  tone,  and  with  a  convulsive  pressure  of  tho 
form  he  still  encircled :— ''If  in  my  younger  days,  my  nind  was  alive  to  enter- 
prise, and  loved  to  contemplate  danger  in  its  most  apptdling  forms,  this  was 
fiur  from  being  th^mastcr  pansion  of  my  soul ;  nay,  it  was  the  strong  necessity 
I  felt  of  pouring  into  some  devoted  bosom  the  overflowing  Ailness  of  my  heart 
that  made  nie  court  in  solitude  those  positions  of  danger  with  wliich  tho  image 
of  woman  was  ever  a.ssociated. 

"  I  have  already  said  that,  on  gaining  the  sumfnit  of  the  rock,  I  found  my- 
self in  a  sort  of  oasis  of  the  mountains.    I^  was  so.    Belted  in  on'evcry  hand 


'■•  ?- 


r 


ii 


i 


a 


.1 


199 


waoovsta;    or,  tub    proprbot. 


m 


hj  bold  and  preoipitcius  crags,  that  seemed  to  defj  the  approach  even  of  the 
Wildest  animals,  and  putting  utterly  at  fault  the  penetration  and  curibsity  of 
man,  vihb  spread  a  carpet  of  verdure,  a  luxuriance  of  vegetation,  that  might 
have  put  to  shame  the  fertility  of  the  soft  breeise-nourishcd  valleys  of  Italy  and 
Southern  France. 

"  At  about  twenty  yards  from  the  aperture,  and  on  a  bank,  formed  of  turf, 
covered  with  moss,  and  interspersed  with  roses  and  honey-suckles,  sat  the 
divinity  of  the  oasis.  She,  too,  was  clad  in  the  Highland  dress,  which  gave  an 
air  of  wildncss  and  elegance  to  her  figiu*e  that  was  in  classic  harmony  with  the 
svuTounding  scenery.  At  the  moment  of  my  appearance  she  was  in  the  act  of 
dressing  the  wounded  shoulder  of  a  stag  that  had  recently  been  shot ;  {ind 
from  the  broad  tartan  riband  I  perceived  attached  to  its  neck,  added  to  the 
fact  of  the  tamencss  of  the  animal,  I  presumed  that  this  stag,  evidently  a 
favorite  of  its  mistress,  was  the  same  I  had  fired  at  and  wounded.  The  rust- 
ling I  made  among  the  bushes  had  attracted  her  attention ;  she  raised  her  eyes 
from  the  deer,  and  beholding  me,  started  to  her  feet,  uttering  a  cry  of  terror 
and  surprise.  Fearing  to  speak,  as  if  the  sound  of  my  own  voice  wore  sufficient 
to  dispel  the  illusion  that  facinated  both  eye  and  heart  into  delicious  tension 
on  her  form,  I  stood  for  some  moments  as  motionless  as  the  rock  out  of  which 
I  appeared  to  grow,  gazing  upon  her  I  was  destined  to  love  for  ever. 

"It  was  this  utter  immobility  on  my  own  part,  that  ensured  me  a  continu- 
ance of  the  exquisite  happiness  I  then  enjoyed.  The  first  movement  of  the 
startled  girl  had  been  to  fly  towards  her  dwelling,  which  stood  at  a  short 
distance,  half  imbedded  in  the  same  clustering  roses  and  honey-suckles  that 
adorned  her  bank  of  mossj  but  when  she  remarked  my  utter  stillness,  and 
apparent  absence  of  purpose,  she  checked  the  impulse  that  would  have  direct- 
ed her  departure,  and  stopped,  half  in  curiosity,  half  in  fear,  to  examine  me 
once  more.  At  that  moment  all  my  energies  appeared  to  be  restored ;  I 
threw  myself  into  an  attitude  expressive  of  deep  contrition  for  the  intrusion 
of  which  I  had  been  imconsciously  guilty,  and  dropping  on  one  knee,  and  rais- 
ing my  clasped  hands,  inclined  them  towards  her  in  token  of  mingled  depre- 
cation of  her  anger,  and  respectful  homage  to  herself.  At  first  she  hesitated,— 
then  gradually  and  timidly  retrod  her  wa^  to  the  seat  she  had  so  abruptly 
quitted  in  her  alarm.  Emboldened  by  this  movement,  I  made  a  step  or  two 
in  advance,  but  no  sooner  had  I  done  so  than  she  again  took  to  flight.  Once 
more,  however,  she  turned  to  behold  me,  and  again  I  had  dropped  on  my 
knee,  and  was  conjuring  her,  with  the  same  signs,  to  remain  and  bless  me 
with  her  presence.  Again  she  returned  to  her  seat,  and  again  I  advanced. 
Scarcelv  loss  timid,  however,  than  the  deer,  which  followed  her  every  moment, 
she  fled  a  third  time, — a  third  time  looked  back,  and  was  again  induced,  by  my 
supplicating  manner,  to  return.  Frequently  was  this  repeated,  before  I  finally 
found  myself  at  the  feet,  and  pressing  the  hand — (Oh  Qod  I  what  torture  in 
the  recollection !)'— yes,  pressing  the  hand  of  her  for  whose  smile  I  would, 
even  at  that  moment,  have  sacrificed  my  soul.  Such  was  your  mother,  Glara 
de  Haldimar ;  yes,  even  such  as  I  have  described  her  was  Clara  Beverley.'* 

Again  Wacousta  paused,  and  his  pause  was  longer  than  usual,  as,  with  hif 
large  hand  again  covering  nis  face,  ho  seemed  endeavoring  to  master  the  feel- 
ings which  these  recollections  had  called  up.  Clara  scarcely  breathed.  Un- 
mmdful  of  her  desolate  position,  her  soul  was  intent  only  on  a  history  that 
related  so  immediately  to  her  oeloved  mother,  of  whom  all  that  she  had 
hitherto  known  was.  that  she  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  that  her  father 
had  married  her  while  quartered  in  that  country.  The  deep  eftiotion  of  the 
terrible  being  before  her,  so  often  manifested  in  the  course  of  what  he  had 
alreadv  given  of  his  recital,  added  to  her  knowledge  of  the  &ct8  iust  named, 
Bcarcoly  left  a'doubt  of  the  truth  of  his  statement  on  her  mind.  Her  car  was 
now  bent  aching  towards  him,  in  expectation  of  a  continuance  of  his  history, 
but  he  still  remaned  in  the  same  attitude  of  abaorption.  An  irresistible  im- 
puLw  caused  her  to  extend  ber  hand,  tad  rmove  his  own  from  his  eyesi 

•  '  '     '  -•■..-  •  •  "■  • .  . 


i> 


m 


■  ''4 

J- 


waoovsta;   or,   the   propbiot. 


Avf  were  ftUed  with  tears ;  and  even  while  her  mind  rapidly  embraced  the 
iK^pe  that  thin  manifestation  of  tenderness  was  but  the  dawning  of  mercy  to- 
wards the  children  of  her  he  had  once  loved,  her  kind  nature  could  not  avoid 
l^ympltthising  with  him,  whose  uncouthncss  of  appearance  and  savagoness  of 
nature  were,  in  some  measure,  lost  sight  of  in  the  fact  of  l^e  powerfiU  love  ho 
yet  apparently  acknowledged.     * 

But  no  sooner  did  Wacousta  feel  the  soft  pressure  of  her  hand,  and  meet 
her  eyes  turned  on  his  with  an  expression  of  interest,  than  the  most  rapid 
transition  was  effected  in  his  feelings.  He  drew  the  form  of  the  weakly  re- 
sisting girl  closer  to  his  heart ;  again  imprinted  a  kiss  upon  her  lips ;  and 
then,  while  every  muscle  in  his  iron  frame  seemed  quivering  with  emotion^ 
exclaimed, — "  By  heaven !  that  touch,  that  glance,  were  Clara  Beverley's.  Yea, 
Olara,"  he  proceeded  more  deliberately,  as  he  scanned  her  form  with  an  eye 
that  made  her  shudder,  "  such  as  your  mother  was,  so  are  you ;  the  same  de- 
licacy of  proportion ;  the  same  graceful  curvature  of  limb,  only  less  rounded, 
less  womanly.    But  you  must  be  younger  by  about  two  years  than  she  then 


» 


was. 

There  was  a  cool  licence  of  speech — a  startling  freedom  of  manner — in  the 
latter  part  of  his  address,  that  disappointed  not  less  thati  it  pained  and  of- 
fended the  unhappy  Clara.  She  shuddered ;  and  sighing  bitterly,  suffered  her 
tears  to  force  themselves  through  her  closed  lids  upon  her  pallid  check.  This 
change  in  her  appearance  seemed  to  act  as  a  check  on  the  temporary  excite- 
ment of  Wacousta.  Again  obeying  one  of  those  rapid  transitions  of  feeling, 
for  which  he  was  remarkablej  he  once  mope  assumed  an  expression  of  seri- 
ousness, and  thus  continued  his  narrative. 


V 


5; 


^ 


^1 


I ».  I- 


,■*■■ 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


''It  tKMts  not  now,  Clara,  to  enter  upon  all  that  succeeded  to  my  first  iii 
troduction  toyour  mother.  V  vould  take  long  to  relate,  not  the  gradations 
of  our  passion,  for  that  was  Hkc'  u\e  whirlwind  of  the  desert,  sudden  and  de- 
Tastating  from  the  first ;  but  the  burning  vow,  the  plighted  faith,  the  repos- 
ing confidence,  the  unchecked  abondonment  that  flew  £om  the  lips,  and  filled 
the  heart  of  each,  sealed,  as  they  were,  with  kisses.  long,  deep,  enervating, 
even  such  as  I  had  ever  pictured  that  divine  pledge  or  human  affection  should 
be.    Yes,  Clara  de  Haldimar,  your  mother  was  the  child  of  nature  then. 

"  I  was  not  always  the  rugged  being  I  now  appear.  Of  surpassing  strength 
I  had  ever  been,  and  flee^of  foot ;  but  not  then  had  I  attainc^l  to  mv  present 
gigantic  st)|ture ;  neither  was  my  form  endowed  with  the  samd  herculean 
rudeness ;  nor  did  my  complexion  wear  the  swarthy  hue  of  the  savage ;  nor 
had  my  features  been  rendered  repulsive,  from  tiie  perpetual  action  of  those 
fleroe  passions  which  have^since  assailed  my  soul. 

"  Your  mother  had  been  brought  up  in  solitude,  and  without  having  seen 
the  ftce  of  another  man  that  her  father.    Colonel  Beverley,  of  English  name. 
hut  Scottish  connections,  was  an  old  gentleman  of  considerable  eccentricity  or 
character.    He  had  taken  a  part  in  the  rebdlion  of  1715  ;  but  sick  and  dis- 
cdsted  with  an  issue  by  which'  his  fortunes  had  been  affected,  and  heartp 
moken  by  the  Iqas  of  aoeloved  wife,  w^ose  death  had  been  accelerated  by 
orcumstances  connected  with  the  disturbed  nature  of  the  times,  he  had  resolT- 
ed  to  bury  himself  and  child  in  some  wild,  where  the  face  of  man^  whom  ht 
loathed,  might  no  more  offend  his  sight.    This  oasis  of  the  mountains  was  thi 
spot  selected  for  his  purpose ;  for  he  had  diseovered  it  some  years  previousl 
on  an  occasion,  when,  closely  pursued  by  wonub  of  the  English  troops,  and 
nurated  from  his  followers,  he  had  only  oflboted  his  escape  by  venturing 
the  ledges  of  rock  I  have  already  desaiMd.    After  minute  subsequent  sea 

IS 


\\ 


{p4 


waoousta;  or,  thb  prophiot. 


i: 


m 


M'\ 


at  the  opposite  extremity  of  the  oblong  belt  of  rocks  that  shut  it  in  on 
hand,  he  had  discovered  an  opening^  through  which  the  transport  of  mdn  t» 
oessaries  as  were  essential  to  his  object  might  be  e£fected ;  and,  causing  one  of 
his  dwelling  houses  to  be  pulled  down,  ho  had  the  materials  carri^  across  the 
rocks  on  the  shoulders  of  the  men  employed  to  re^rect  them  in  his  chosen 
solitude.  A  few  months  served  to  complete  these  arrangements,  which  in- 
cluded a  garden  abounding  in  every  fruit  and  flower  that  could  possibly  liv4 
in  so  elevated  a  region ;  and  this,  in  time,  under  his  own  culture,  and  that  ot 
his  daughter,  became  the  Eden  it  first  appeared  to  me. 

"  Previous  to  their  entering  on  this  employment,  the  workmen  had  beei 
severally  sworn  to  secrecy ;  and  when  all  was  declared  ready  for  his  reception, 
the  colonel  summoned  them  a  second  time  to  his  presence ;  when,  after  mak> 
ing  a  handsome  present  to  each,  in  addition  to  his  hire,  he  found  no  difficulty 
in  prevailing  on  them  to  renew  their  oath  that  they  would  preserve  the  most 
scrupulous  silence  in  regard  to  the  jplace  of  hia  retreat.  He  then  took  advan 
tago  of  a  dark  and  tempestuous  night  to  execute  his  project ;  and,  attended 
only  by  an  old  woman  and  her  daughter,  faithful  dependants  of  the  family, 
set  out  in  auest  of  his  new  above^  leaving  all  his  neighbors  to  discuss  and 
marvel  at  the  singularity  of  his  disappearance.  True  to  his  text,  however, 
not  even  a  boy  was  admitted  into  his  household :  and  here  they  had  continued 
to  live,  unseeing  and  unseen  by  man,  except  when  a  solitary  and  ^stant 
mountaipeer  occasionally  flitted  among  the  rocks  below  in  pursuit  of  his 
game.  Fruits  and  vegetables  composed  their  diet ;  but  once  a  fortnight  the 
old  woman  was  despatched  through  the  opening  already  mentioned,  which 
was  at  other  times  so  secured  by  her  master  that  no  hand  but  his  own  could 
remove  the  intricate  fastenings.  This  expedition  had  for  its  object  the  pup> 
chase  of  bread  ;ind  animal  food  at  the  nearest  market ;  and  every  time  she 
sallied  forth  an  oath  was  administered  to  the  crone,  the  purport  of  which  was, 
not  only  that  she  would  return,  unless  prevented  by  violence  or  death,  but 
that  she  would  not  answer  any  questions  put  to  her.  as  to  whom  she  was, 
.whence  she  came,  or  for  whom  the  fruits  of  her  marketing  were  intended. 
.  "Meanwhile,  wrapped  up  in  his  books,  which  were  chiefl;^  classic  authors, 
or  writers  on  abstruse  sciences,  the  misanthropical  colonel  paid  little  or  no  at- 
tention to  the  cultivation  of  the  intellect  of  his  daughter^  whom  he  had  merely 
instructed  in  the  elementary  branches  of  education ;  m  all  which,  however, 
she  evinced  an  Aptitude  and  perfectibility  that  indicated  quickness  of  genius 
and  a  capability  of  far  higher  attainments.  Books  he  principally  withheld 
from  her,  because  they  brought  the  image  of  man,  whom  he  hated,  and  wishef 
she  should  also  hate,  too  often  in  flattering  colors  before  her ;  and  had  anv 
wofk  treating  of  love  been  found  to  have  crept  accidentall^r  into  his  own  col- 
lection, it  would  instantly  and  indienantly  have  been  committed  to  the  flames. 

''Thus  left  to  the  action  of  her  own  heart — the  guidance  of  her  own  feel- 
ings— it  was  but  natimil  your  mother  shoiild  have  sufiered  her  imagination 
to  repose  on  an  ideal  happiness,  which,  although  in  some  degree  destitute  of 
shape  and  character,  was  still  powerfully  felt.  What  dear  acknowledgments 
(alas !  too  deceitful)  flowed  frpm  her  guileless  lips,  even  during  our  m-st  in- 
terview. 

"  Two  long  and  delicious  hours,"  pursued  Wacousta,  after  another  painflll 
pause  of  some  moments,  "did  we  pass  together,  exchanging  thought  and 
speech,  and  helu-t^  as  if  the  term  of  our  acquaintance  had  been  coeval  witn  the 
first  dawn  of  our  mtellectual  life ;  When  suddenly  a  small  silyer-toned  bell  w^ 
heard  from  the  direction. of  the  house,  hid  from  the  sjMt  on  which  wo  sat  by 
the  luxuriant  foliage  of  an  intervening  labuiTium.  This  sound  seemed  to  dia- 
sipate  the  dreamy  calm  that  had  wrapped  the  soul  of  your  mother  into  fbr* 

Stfblness.  She  started  suddenly  up,  and  bade  me,  if  I  loved  her,  begone ;  as 
at  bell  announced  her  reauired  attendance  on  her  father,  who,  now  awaken- 
.«d  frbm  the  mid-day  slumoer  in  which  hb  ever  indulged,  was  about  to  take 
•his  accustomed  walk  around  the  grounds ;  which  was  httle  else,  in  fact,  than 


WACOV8T4:  OK,  THE  PROPHECY. 


105 


win. 
one  of 
osstho 
chosen 
lich  in- 
aly  liv* 
that  ot 

id  bcei 

ccption, 

;r  male- 

ifficulty 

be  most 

:  advaii 

ittcnded 
family, 

xiss  and 

lowevor. 

ontinuea 

I  distant 

it  of  his 

light  the 

d.  which 

(m  could 
the  pur* 

time  she 

lich  was, 

cath,  but 
she  was, 

idcd. 
authors, 
or  no  at- 
d  merely 
however, 
)f  genius 
[withheld 
|d  wishef 
bad  anv 
lown  col- 
^e  flames. 
»wn  feel- 
lation 
itituteof  . 
dgment9 
&Bt  in- 

painfull 

rht.  and 

rith  the 

bcllwy 

TQ  sat  by 

todifl- 

J  into  for- 

Igone ;  as 

1  awaken- 

It  to  take 

ctitham 


»  close  inspection  of  the  walls  of  his  natural  castle.  I  rose  to  obey  her :  our 
eyes  met,  and  she  threw  herself  into  my  extended  arms.  Wc  whispered  anc\^ 
our  vows  of  eternal  love.  She  called  me  her  husband,  and  I  pronounced  thv 
entlearing  name  of  wife.  A  bumbg  kiss  scaled  the  compact ;  and,  on  her 
uvhiy  observing  that  the  sleep  of  her  father  continued  about  two  hours  at 
noon,  and  that  the  old  woman  and  her  daughter  were  always  occupied  within 
doors,  I  promiscd||o  repeat  my  visit  every  second  day  until  she  finally  quitted 
her  retreat  to  be  my  own  for  life. 

"  One  morning  I  had  hastily  sketched  an  outline  of  your  mother's  features 
in  pencil,  with  a  view  to  assist  me  in  the  design  of  a  miniature  I  proposed 
painting  from  memory.    While  occupied  the  second-  day  in  its  completion,  it 
occurred  to  me  I  was  in  orders  for  duty  on  the  following,  which  was  that  of 
my  promised  visit  to  the  oasis ;  and  I  despatched  my  servant  with  my  com- 
pUments  to  your  father,  and  a  request  that  he  would  be  so  obliging  as  to  take 
my  guard  for  me  on  the  to-morrow,  and  I  would  perform  his  duty  wlvn  next 
his  name  appeared  on  the  roster.    Somie  time  afterwards  I  heard  the  dOor  of  the 
room  in  which  I  sat  open,  and  some  one  cuter.    Presuming  it  to  be  my  scr^ 
vant,  ^returned  from  the  execution  of  the  message  with  which  he  had  just 
been  cnargcd,)  I  paid  no  attention  to  the  circumstance ;  but  finding,  presently, 
he  did  not  speak,  I  turned  round  with  a  view  of  demanding  what  answer  he 
had  brought.    To  my  surprise,  however,  I  beheld,  not  mv  servant,  but  your 
father.    Ho  was  standing  looking  over  my  shoulder  at  the  work  on  which  I 
was  engaged ;  and  notwithstanding  in  the  instant  he  resumed  the  cold,  quiet, 
smirking  look  that  usually  distinguished  him,  I  thought  I  could  trace  the 
evidence  of  some  deep  emotion  which  my  action  had  suddenly  dispelled.    He 
apologised  for  his  intrusion,  although  we  were  on  those  terms  that  rendered 
apology  unnecessary,  but  said  he  had  just  received  my  message,  and  preferred 
coming  in  person  to  assure  me  how  happy  he  should  feel  to  toke  my  duty,  or 
to  render  me  any  other  service  in  his  power.    I  thought  he  laid  unusual  em- 
phasis on  the  last  sentence ;  yet  I  thanked  him  warmly,  stating  that  the  only 
service  I  should  now  exact  of  him  would  be  to  take  my  guard,  as  I  was  com- 
pelled to  be  absent  nearly  the  whole  of  the  following  morning.    He  observed 
with  a  smil^he  hoped  I  was  not  going  to  venture  my  neck  on  those  danger- 
ous precipices  a  second  time,  after  the  narrow  escape  1  had  had  on  the  preced- 
ing day.    As  he  spoke^  I  thought  his  eye  met  mine  with  a  sly  yet  scrutinising 
glance ;  and,  not  wishing  to  reply  immediately  to  his  question,  I  asked  him 
what  he  thought  of  the  work  with  which  I  was  endeav6ring  to  beguile  an  idle 
hour.    He  took  it  up,  and  I  watched  the  expression  of  his  handsome  counte- 
nance with  the  anxiety  of  a  lover- who  wishes  that  all  should  think  his  mis- 
tress beautiftil  as  he  does  himself.    It  betrayed  a  very  indefinite  sort  of  admi- 
ration ;  and  yet  it  struck  me  there  was  an  eagerness  in  his  dilating  eye  that 
contrasted  strongly  with  the  calm  and  unconcern  of  his  other  features.    At 
length  I  asked  him  laughingly,  what  he  thought  of  my  Conush  cousin.    He 
replied,  cautiously  enough,  that  since  it  was  the  likeness  of  a  cousin,  and  he 
dwelt  emphatically  on  the  word,  he  could  not  fail  to  admii;^  it.    Candor, 
however,  compelled  him  to  admit,  that  had  I  not  declared  the  original  to  be 
one  ib  closely  connected  with  me,  he  should  have  said  the  talent  of  so  per- 
fect an  artist  might  have  been  better  employed. 

"  Tho  next  day  saw  me  again  at  the  side  of  your  mother,  who  received  me 
with  the  same  artless  demonstrations  of  affection.  After  the  first  flfll  and 
nnrcscrved  interchange  of  our  souls'  best  feelings,  our  conversation  turned 
npon  lightdFtopics ;  and  I  took  an  opportunity  to  produce  the  fruit  of  my  ap- 
plication since  we  parted.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  surprise  and  delight  thjit 
animated  her  beautiful  countenance  when  first  she  gazed  upon  the  miniature, 
She  tdcpressed  a  strong  desire  to  retain  it ;  and  to  this  I  readily  assented ; 
stipulating  only  to  keep  it  until  my  dbxt  visit,  in  order  that  I  might  take  an 
exact  copy  for  myself.  She  herself,  she  said,  had  not  been  idle.  Althou^ 
her  penal  could  not  call  up  my  image  in  the  same  manner,  her  pen  had  better 


w 


<  ■« 


/;1 


h 


106 


waoovbta;  or,  the  propbbot. 


repaid  ber  exertions ;  and  in  return  for  the  }K>rtrait  she  would  rire  n  <  ^• 
ter  she  had  written  to  beguile  her  loneliness  on  the  preceding  day.  iw*  iku 
spoke  she  drew  a  sealed  packet  from  the  bosom  of  her  dress,  and  placing  it  in 
my  hand,  desired  me  not  to  read  it  until  I  had  returned  to  my  home.  But 
there  was  an  expression  of  sweet  confusion  in  her  lovely  countenance,  and  a 
trepidation  in  her  manner,  that,  half  disclosing  the  truth,  rendered  me  utterly 
impatient  of  the  delay  imposed ;  and  eagerly  breaking  tfa^  seal,  I  devoured 
rather  than  read  its  contents.  ^  w 

"  Accursed  madness  of  recollection  !"  pursued  Wacousta,  again  striking  his 
brow  violently  with  his  hand, — "  why  is  it  that  I  ever  feel  thus  unmanned 
while  recurring  to  thosQ  letters  ?  Oh !  Clara  de  Ilaldimar,  never  did  woman 
pen  to  man  such  declarations  of  tenderness  and  attachment  as  that  too  dear 
but  faithless  letter  of  your  mother  contained.  All  confidingness,  she  sank 
ber  head  upon  my  chest,  which  heaved  scarcely  less  wildl r  than  her  own. 

"  The  hour  of  parting  at  length  arrived  announced,  as  before,  by  the  small 
b<vll  of  her  father,  and  I  again  tore  myself  from  her  arms." 


L 


■>- 


.J 


•;.  .  i 


.i'A  i'.' 


9HAPTER  XXXL 


J 


"  Nearly  a  month  passed  away  in  this  manner ;  and  at  each  interview  o«r 
affection  seemed  to  increase.  One  day,  while  preparing  to  set  out  on  my  cus- 
tomary excursion,  a  report  suddenly  reached  me  that  the  route  had  iu-Hved 
for  the  regiment,  who  were  to  march  from  '—  within  three  days.  This  is- 
I  telligence  I  received  with  inconceivable  delight ;  for  it  had  been  settled  by 
your  mother  and  myself,  that  this  should  be  the  moment  chosen  for  her  de 
parture, 

"  With  a  glowii)g  cheek  and  a  countenance  radiant  with  happiness,  did 


>V\«|    AAA    \/A\A1 

give  sanctity  to  our  union,  and^ensure  her  own  persons!  respectability  in  the 
world}  and  these,  I  told  her,  would  be  solemnilcd  by  the  chaplain  of  the 
regiment  She  implicitly  confided  in  me ;  and  she  was  right ;  for  I  loved  her 
too  wdl  to  make  her  my  mistress,  while  i^o  barrier  exist^  .to  her  claim  to  a 
dearer  title. 

"  The  only  di£Bculty  that  now  occurred  was  the  manner  of  her  flight.  I 
had  proposed,  as  the  most  feasible  and  rational  plan,  that  the  colonel  should 
be  compelled  to  give  us  egress  through  the  secret  pnssage,  when  we  mieht 
command  tiie  services  of  the  old  woman  to  guide  us  through  Uie  passes  that 
led  to  the  town }  but  to  this  your  mother  most  urgently  objected,  declaring 
that  she  would  rather  encounter  any  personal  peril  that  might  attend  her  es 
d^  in  a  different  manner,  than  appear  to  be  a  participator  in  an  act  of  vio- 
lence against  her  parent,  whose  obstina<nr  of  character  she  moreover  knew  too 
well  to  leave  a  hope  of  nis  being  intimidated  into  the  accomplishmenl^f  our 
object,  even  by  a  threat  of  deiath  itselfl  This  plan  I  was  therefore  compelled 
to  abandon ;  and  as  neither  of  us  were  able  to  discover  the  pas^^  by  which 
the  deer  always  effected  its  entrance,  I  was  obliged  to  fix  upon  one,  which  it 
was  urged  should  be  put  in  practice  on  the  following  day.  ' 

"  On  my  return,  I  occupied  myself  with  preparations  for  the  reception  of 
her  who  was  so  speedily  to  become  my  wife.  iJnwilling  that  she  should  be 
■een  by  any  of  my  companions,  until  the  ceremony  was  finally  performed,  I 
engaged  apartments  in  a  small  retired  cottage,  distant  about  «.vf  a  mik  fran 
the  furthest  extremity  of  the  tovm,  wlpere  1  purposed  she  should  remCn  un- 
til the  regiment  finally  quitted  the  station.  This  point  secured.  I  hastened 
It  the  quarterf  of  the  chaplain,  to  engage  his  services  for  the  following  ere^ 


wacoubta;  or,  the  propheot. 


197 


/ 


Ring ;  but  he  \ras  from  home  at  the  time,  and  I  repaired  to  my  o\m  rooms, 
to  prepare  the  means  of  escape  for  yonr  mother.  These  occupied  me  until  a 
▼Ciy  late  hour ;  and  when  at  length  I  retired  to  rest,  it  was  only#o  indulge 
in  the  fondest  imaginings  that  ever  filled  the  heart  of  a  devoted  lover.  Alas ! 
(and  the  dark  warrior  again  sighe<l  heavily)  the  day-dream  of  my  happiness 
was  already  fast  drawing  to  a  close.  *- 

"  At  half  an  hour  before  noon,  I  was  again  in  the  oasis ;  your  mother  .was 
at  the  wonted  ifpot ;  and  although  she  received  me  with  her  sunniest  smiles, 
there  were  traces  of  tears  upon  her  cheek.  She  implored  me  to  forgive  her 
weakness;  but  it  was  the  first  time  she  was  to  bo  separated  from  her  parent; 
and  conscious  as  she  was  that  it  was  to  be  for  ever,  she  could  not  repress  the 
feeling  that  rose,  despite  of  herself,  to  her  heart.  Sne  had,  however,  prepared 
tf  letter,  at  my  suggestion,  to  be  left  on  her  favorite  moss  seat,  where  it  was 
likely  sne  would  first  be  sought  by  her  father,  to  assure  him  of  her  safety, 
and  of  her  prospects  of  future  happiness ;  and  the  consciousness  that  he 
would  labor  under  no  harrot^ing  uncertainty  in  regard  to  her  fate,  seemed  at 
length  to  soothe  and  satisfy  her  heart. 

"  I  now  led  her  to  the  aperture,  where  I  had  left  the  apparatus  provided  for 
my  puiposo :  this  consisted  of  a  close  netting,  about  four  feet  in  depth,  with 
ft  board  for  a  footstool  at  the  bottom,  and  furnished  at  intervals  with  hoops, 
60  as  to  keep  it  full  and  open.  -  The  top  of  this  netting  was  provided  with 
two  handles,  to  which  were  attached  the  ends  of  a  cord  many  fathoms  in 
length  J  the  whole  of  such  diu^bility,  as  to  have  borne  weights  equal  to  tliose 
of  throe  ordinary  sized  men,  with  which  I  had  proved  it  prior  to  my  setting 
oat.  My  first  care  was  to  bandage  the  eyes  of  your  mother,  (who  willingly 
ftnd  fearlessly  submitted  to  all  I  proposed,)  that  she  might  not  see,  and  be- 
come faint  with  seeing  the  terrible  chasm  over  which  she  was  about  to  be 
suspended.  I  then  placed  her  within  the  netting,  which,  fitting  closely  to  her 
person,  and  reaching  under  her  arms,  completely  secured  her ;  and  my  next 
urgent  request  was,  that  she  should  not,  on  any  account,  remove  the  bandage 
or  make  the  slightest  movement,  when  she  found  herself  stationary  below, 
until  I  had  joined  her.  I  then  dropped  her  gently  through  the  aperture,  low- 
ering fathom  after  fathom  of  the  rope,  the  ends  of  which  I  had  firmly  secured 
round  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  as  an  ndditional  safeguard,  until  she  finally  came 
on  a  level  with  that  part  of  the  cliff  on  which  I  had  reposed  when  first  >^ho 
beheld  me.  As  she  still  hung  iinraediately  over  the  abyss,  it  was  necessary 
to  give  a  gradual  impetus  to  her  weight,  to  enable  her  to  gain  the  landing- 

{»lace.  I  now,  therefore,  commenced  swinging  her  to  and  fro,  until  she  at 
ength  came  so  near  the  point  desired,  that  I  clearly  saw  the  principal  difficul- 
ty was  surmounted.  The  necessary  motion  having  been  given  to  the  balance, 
with  One  vigorous  and  final  impulsion  I  dexterously  contrived  to  deposit  her 
several  feet  from  the  edge  of  the  lower  rock,  when,  slackcniiij;  the  rope  on  the 
instant,  1  had  the  inexpressible  satisfaction  to  see  that  she  remained  firm  and  sta- 
tionary. The  waving  of  her  scarf  immediately  afterwards  (a  signal  previously 
agreedf  upon  V  announced  she  had  siLstained  no  injury  in  this  rather  rude  col- 
lision with  the  rock,  and  I  in  turn  commenced  my  descent. 

"  Fearing  to  cast  away  the  ends  of  the  rope,  lest  their  weight  should  by 
any  chance  affect  tlie  balance  of  the  footing  your  mother  had  obtained,  I  now 
secured  them  around  my  loins,  and  accomphshing  my  descent  in  the  customi^ 
ry  manner,  speedily  found  myself  once  more  at  the  side  of  my  heart's  dearest 
treasure.  J  prepared  to  execute  the  remainder  of  my  task ;  and  again  applied 
the  bandage  to  her  eyes,  saying  that,  although  the  principal  danger  was  over, 
still  there  was  another  t  could  not  bear  she  sh(9uld  look  upon. 

"  Disengaging  the  rope  from  the  handles  of  the  netting,  I  now  applied  to 
these  a  broaS  leathern  belt,  and  stooping  with  my  back  to  the  cherished  bur* 
den  with  which  I  was  about  to  charge  myself,  passed  the  centre  of  the  belt 
acroMfi  my  chest,  much  in  the  manner  in  which,  as  you  are  aware,  Indian 
women  carry  their  in&nt  children.    As  an  additional  precaution^  I  had  secor^ 


im 


waoousta;  or,  the  prophsot. 


the  netting  round  my  waist  by  a  strong  lacing  of  cord,  and  then  raising  my- 
self to  my  full  height,  and  satisfying  myself  of  the  perfect  freedom  of  actioa 
of  mf  limbs,  seized  a  long  balancing  pole  I  had  left  suspended  against  t\^. 
rock  at  my  last  visit,  and  commenced  my  descent  of  the  sloping  ridge.  Of 
approaching  the  horrible  chasm,  a  feeling  of  faintncss  came  oyer  me,  despitt 
of  the  confidence  with  which  Uiad  previously  armed  myself.  This,  howevei^ 
was  but  momentary.  Sensible  that  every  thing  depended  on  rapidity  of 
mov^ent,  I  paused  not  in  my  course ;  but,  quickening  my  pace  as  I  gradu- 
ally drew  nearer,  gave  the  necessary  impetus  to  my  motion,  and  cleared  the 
gap  with  a  facility  far  exceeding  what  had  distinguished  my  first  passage,  and 
which  was  the  fruit  of  constant  practice  alone.  Here  my  balance  was  sus- 
tained by  the  pole ;  and  at  length  I  had  the  inexpressible  satisfaction  to  find 
myself  at  the  very  extremity  of  the  ridge,  and  immediately  at  the  point  where 
I  had  left  m^i  companions  in  my  first  memorable  pursuit. 

"  In  the  deep  transports  of  my  joy,  I  once  more  threw  myself  on  my 
knees  in  speechless  thanksgiving  to  Providence  for  the  con^plete  success  of  m^ 
undertaking.  Your  mothev,  whom  I  had  previously  released  from  her  con- 
finement, did  the  s^me;  and  at  that  moment  the  union  of  our  hearts  seemed 
to  be  cemented  by  a  divine  influence,  manifested  in  the  fullness  of  gratitude  of 
each.  Throwing  over  her  shoulders  the  mantle  of  a  youth,  which  I  had  se- 
creted near  the  spot,  I  enjoined  her  to  follow  me  closely  in  the  path  I  was 
about  to  pursue. 

"  I  have  not  hitherto  found  it  necessary  to  state,"  continued  Wacousta,  his 
brow  lowering  with  fierce  and  gloomy  thought,  "  that  more  than  once,  latter- 
ly, on  my  return  fi'om  the  oasis,  which  was  usually  at  a  stated  hour,  I  had 
observed  a  hunter  hovering  near  the  end  of  the  ledge,  yet  quickly  retreating 
as  I  advanced.  There  was  something  in  the  figure  of  this  nian  that  recalled 
to  my  recollection  the  form  of  your  father ;  b^t  ever,  on  my  return  to  quar- 
ters, I  found  him  in  uniform,  and  exhibiting  any  thing  but  the  appearance  of 
one  who  had  recently  been  threading  his  weary  way  amon^  rocka  and  fast- 
nesses.  Besides,  the  improbability  of  this  fact  was  so  great,  that  it  occujpied 
-not  my  attention  beyond  the  passing  moment.  On  the  present  occasion, 
however,  I  saw  the  same  hunter,  arid  was  more  forcibly  than  ever  struck  by 
the  resemblance  to  my  fViend.  Prior  to  my  quitting  the  point  where  I  had 
tiberated  your  mother  from  the  netting,  I  haa,  in  addition  to  the  disguise  of 
the  cloak,  found  it  necessary  to  make  some  alteration  in  the  arrangement  of 
her  haii: ;  the  redundancy  of  which,  as  it  floated  nticefully  over  her  polished 
neck,  was  in  itself  sufficient  to  betray  her  sex.  With  this  view  I  had  removed 
her  plumed  bonnet.  It  was  the  first  time  I  had  seen  her  without  it^  and  so 
deeply  impressed  was  I  by  the  angel  like  character  of  the  extreme  feminine 
i>cauty  she,  more  than  ever,  then  exhibited,  that  I  knelt  in  silent  adoration  for 
some  moments  at  her  feet,  my  eyes  and  countenance  alone  expressing  the 
fbrvent  and  almost  holy  emotion  of  my  enraptured  soul. 

"  Immediately  we  pursued,  our  course ;  and  after  an  hour's  rather  laborious 
exertion,  at  length  emerj^  from  the  succession  of  glens  and  rocks  that  lay 
in  our  way ;  when  skirtmg  the  valley  in  which  the  town  was  situated,  wo 
finally  reached  the  cottage  where  I  had  secured  my  lodging.  Previous  to  en- 
tering it,  I  had  told  your  mother,  that  for  the  few  hours  that  would  intervene 
before  the  marriage  ceremony  could  be  performed,  I  should,  by  way  of  lulling 
the  curiosity  of  her  hostess,  introduce  her  as  a  near  relative  of  my  own. 
This  I  did  accordingly ;  and,  having  seen  that  'rrrj-  thing  was  comfortably 
arranged  for  her  convenience,  and  recommeraing  her  strongly  to  the  care  of 
the  old  woman,  I  set  off  once  more  in  search  of  the  chaplain  of  the  regiment 
Before  I  cduld  reach  his  residence,  however,  I  was  met  by  a  sergeant  of  my 
company,  who  came  running  towards  me,  evidently  with  some  intelligence  of 
moment.  He  stated,  that  my  presence  was  reauired  without  delay.  The 
jpreaadiers,  vfith  the  senior  subaltern,  were  in  orders  fbr  detachment  for  an 
Wp^rtant  service  j  and  considerable  displeasure  had  bebn  manifested  by  tho 


A00U8TA;    OR,     THB    PROPHBOT. 


199 


«N>Ionel  at  my  absence,  especially  as  of  late  I  had  greatly  neglected  my  military 
duties.  He  had  been  looking  for  me  every  where,  he  said,  but  without  suc- 
cess, when  Ensign  de  Haldimar  had  pointed  out  to  him  in  what  direction  it 
was  likely  I  might  be  found. 

'*  With  a  beating  heart  did  I  assume  an  uniform  that  appeared,  at  that  mo- 
ment, hideous  in  my  eyes ;  yet  I  was  not  without  a  hope  I  might  get  off  this 
ill-timed  duty.  Before  I  had  completed  my  equipment,  your  father  entered 
my  quarters ;  and  when  I  fiirst  glanced  my  eye  full  upon  his,  I  thought  hia 
countenance  exhibited  evidences  of  confusion.  This  immediately  remined  me 
of  the  tmknown  hunter,  and  I  asked  him  if  he  was  not  the  person  I  described. 
His  answer  was  not  a  positive  denial,  bul  a  mixture  of  railery  and  surprise 
that  lulled  my  doiibts,  enfeebled  as  they  were  by  the  restored  calm  of  his 
features.  I  then  told  him  that  I  had  a  particular  favor  to  ask  of  him,  which, 
in  consideration  of  our  friendship,  I  trusted  he  would  not  refuse ;  and  that  was. 
to  take  my  duty  in  the  expedition  about  to  set  forth.  His  manner  impli^ 
concern ;  and  he  asked,  with  a  look  that  had  much  deUberi^  expression  in  it 
'if  I  was  aware  that  it  was  a  duty  in  whieh  blood  was  expected  to  be  shed? 
He  could  not  suppose  that  any  consideration  would  induce  me  to  resign  my  • 
duty  to  another  officer,  when  apprised  of  this  fact.'  All  this  was  said  with  {he 
air  of  one  really  interested  in  my  honor ;  but  in  my  increasing  impatience.  I 
told  him  I  wanted  none  of  his  cant ;  I  simply  asked  •him  a  favor,  which  no 
would  grant  or  decline  as  he  thought  proper.  This  was  a  harshness  of  lan- 
guage I  had  never  indulged  in ;  but  tiy  mind  was  sore  under  the  existing 
causes  of  my  annoyance,  and  I  could  not  hear  to  have  my  motives  reflected  on 
at  a  moment  when  my  heart  was  torn  with  all  the  agonies  attendant  on  tho 
position  in  which  I  found  myself  placed.  His  cheek  paled  and  flushed  more 
than  once,  before  he  replied.  '  that  in  spite  of  my  unkindness  his  friendship 
^might  induce  him  to  do  mucn  (of  me,  even  as  he  had  hitherto  done,  but  that 
on  the  present  occasion  it  rested  Qot  with  hiip.  In  order  to  justify  himself  he 
would  no  longer  disguise  the  fact  from  mo,  that  the  colonel  had  declared,  in 
the  presence  of  the  whole  regiment,  I  should  take  my  duty  regularly  in  future, 
and  not  bo  suffered  to  make  a  convenience  of  the  service  any  longer.  Ifj  how- 
ever, he  could  do  anything  for  me  during  my  absence,  I  had  but  to  command 
him. 

.  ^  While  I  was  yet  giving  yent,  in  no  measured  terms,  to  the  indignation  I 
felt  at  being  made  the  subject  of  public  censure  by  the  colonel,  the  same  ser- 
ceant  come  into  the  room,  announcing  that  the  company  were  only  waiting 
for  me  to  march,  and  that  the  colonel  desired  mv  instant  presence.  In  ths 
agitation  of  my  feeling,  I  scarcely  knew  what  I  <ud,  putting  several  portions 
m  my  regimental  eqmpment  on  me  so  completely  awry,  that  your  father  no> 
ticed  and  rectified  the  errors  I  had  committed ;  while  again,  in  the  prcsisnce  of 
the  sergeant,  I  expressed  the  deepest  regret  he  could  not  relieve  me  from  s 
duty  that  was  hateful  to  the  last  degree. 

"Torn  with  agony  at  the  thought  of  the  uncertainty  in  which  I  was  com- 
pelled to  leave  her  whom  I  so  fondly  adored,  I  had  no  other  alternative  than 
to  make  a  partial  confident  ^  your  father.  I  told  him  that  in  tho  cottage 
which  I  pointed  out  he  would  find  the  original  of  tho  portrait  he  had  seen  ma 
painting  on  a  former  occasion, — the  Cornish  cousin,  whose  beauty  he  professed 
to  hold  so  cheaply.  More  he  should  know  of  her  on  my  return ;  but  at  pr»> 
sent  I  confided  her  to  his  honor,  and  begged  he  would  prove  his  friendship  for 
mo  by  rendering  her  whatever  attention  she  mig^ht  require  in  her  humbls 
abode.  With  these  hurried  injunctions  he  promised  to  pomply ;  and  it  has 
often  occurred  to  me  since,  although  I  did  not  remark  it  at  tho  time,  that  whilt 
his  voice  and  manner  were  calm,  there  was  a  burning  glow  upoi^  hja  handsoms 
cheek,  and  a  suppressed  exultation  in  his  eye.  that  I  had  never  observed  on 
either  before.  I  then  quitted  the  room ;  and  nestening  to  my  company  wit|l 
t  gloom  on  my  brow  that  indicated  the  wretchedness  of  my  inward  spirit,  was 
soon  afLorwarus  oa  the  march  from  — — — %" 


i, 
I'M 


I'lt. 


f' 


waoouita;  or, ths  prophsot. 


i 


s/ 


CHAPTER  XXXU. 


"  Ip,  hitherto,  Olara  de  Haldimar,  I  have  been  minute  in  the  detail  <tt  all 
that  attended  my  connection  with  your  mother,  jt  has  been  with  a  view  to 
prove  to  you  how  deeply  I  have  been  injured ;  but  I  have  now  arrived  at  a 
part  of  my  history,  when  to  linger  on  the  past  would  goad  me  into  madness, 
and  render  me  unfit  for  the  purpose  to  which  I  have  devoted  myself. 

"  Will  you  credit  the  monstrous  truth,"  he  added,  in  a  fierce  but  composed 
whisper,  while  he  bent  eagerly  over  the  form  of  the  trembling  yet  attentive 
girl,  "  when  I  tell  ^ou  that,  on  my  retm-n  from  the  fatal  expedition,  during  my 
continuance  on  wmch  her  image  had  never  once  been  absent  frpm  my  mind,  1 
found  Clara  Beverley  the  wife  of  De  Haldimar?  To  what  satanic  arts  so  cal- 
culating a  villain  could  have  recourse  to  effect  his  object  I  know  not ;  but  it  is 
not  the  less  true,  t^t  she,  from  whom  my  previous  mstory  must  have  taught 
you  to  expect  the  purity  of  intentton  and  conduct  of  an  angel,  became  nis 
wife, — and  I,  a  being  accursed  among  men."  Here  the  agitation  of  Waconsta 
became  terrific.  The  laboring  of  his  chest  was  like  that  of  one  convulsed  with 
some  racking  agony ;  and  the  swollen  veins  and  arteries  of  his  head  seemed  to 
threaten  the  extinction  r>t  life  in  some  fearfVil  paroxysm.  At  lengh  he  burst 
into  a  violent  fit  of  tears,  more  appalling,  in  one  of  his  iron  nature,  than  tho 
Tory  which  had  preceded  it,— and  it  was  many  mii\utes  before  he  could  so  far 
compose  himself  as  to  resxune. 

''  Think  not,  Clara  de  Haldimar,  I  speak  without  the  proof.  Herown  words 
confessed,  her  own  lips  avowed  it,  and  yet  I  neither  slew  her,  nor  her  para- 
mour, nor  myself.  On  mj  return  to  tho  regiment  I  had  flown  to  the  cottage, 
on  the  wings  of  the  most  impatient  and  tender  love  that  ever  filled  the  bosom 
of  man  for  woman.  To  my  enquiries  the  landlady  replied,  th^t  my  cousin  had 
been  married  two  days  previously,  by  the  military  chaplain,  to  a  handsome 
young  officer,  who  had  visited  her  soon  after  my  departure,  and  was  constantly 
with  her  from  that  moment ;  and  that  immediately  Hfter  the  ceremony  they 
had  left,  but  she  kne^«mot  whither.  Wild,  desperate,  almost  bereft  of  reason, 
and  with  a  heart  bounding  against  my  bosom,  as  if  each  agonising  throb  were 
to  bo  its  last,  I  ran  like  a  maniac  back  into*tne  town,  nor  paused  till  I  found 
myself  in  the  presence  of  your  father.  My  mind  was  a  volcano,  but  still  I  at> 
tempted  to  be  calm,  even  while  I  charged  him,  in  the  most  outra^ous  term^ 
with  his  villany.  Deny  it  he  could  not ;  but,  far  from  excusing  it,  he  boldly 
avowed  and  justified  the  step  he  had  taken,  intimating,  with  a  smile  fiill  of ' 
meaning,  there  was  nothing  in  a  connection  with  the  family  of  De  Haldimar 
to  reflect  disgrace  on  the  cousin  of  Sir  Reginald  Morton ;  and  that  the  highert 

gmipliment  no  could  pay  his  friend  was  to  attach*  himself  to  one  whom  iLat 
lend  had  declared  to  oe  so  near  a  relative  of  his  own.  There  was  a  ooldnesi 
of  taunt  in  th(^se  remarks,  that  implied  his  sense  of  the  deception  I  had  piao- 
tised  on  him,  in  regard  to  the  true  nature  of  the  relationship ;  and  for  a  mo- 
ment, while  my  hand  firmly  grasped  the  hilt  of  my  sword,  I  hesitated  whether 
I  sjiould  not  cut  him  down  at  my  feet :  I  had  s^lf-commaud,  however,  to  ab- 
•tarn  from  the  outrage,  and  I  have  often  since  regretted  I  had.  My  own  blood 
could  have  but  been  spilt  in  atonement  for  my  just  revenge ;  and  as  for  the 
cibloquy  attached  to  the  memory  of  the  assassin,  it  could  not  have  been  more 
bitfer  than  that  which  has  followed  me  through  life. 

"  For  weeks  I  was  insensible  to  anything  but  the  drcadf^il  shock  my  soul 
had  sustained.  A  heavy  stilpor  weighed  me  down,  and  fbr  a  period  it  wai 
•upposcd  n^  reason  was  overthrown:  no  such  mercy  was  reserved  for  me. 
The  regiment  had  quitted  the  Highlands,  and  were  now  stationary  in  — — -, 
whither  I  had  accompanied  it  in  arrest.  Tho  restoration  of  my  faculties  was 
the  signal  for  now  persecutions.  Scarcely  had  tHo  medical  officers  reported 
me  fit  to  sustain  tho  ordeal,  when  a  court-martial  was  assembled  to  try  me 


WAo.ovsta;   or,  thb  pkophiot. 


201 


\ 


•n  a  Tariety  of  charges.  Who  was  my  prosecutor  ?  Listen,  Clara,"  and  he 
^ook  her  violently  by  the  arm.  "  He  who  had  robbed  me  of  all  hat  gave 
value  to  life  and  incentive  to  honor,— he  whOj  under  the  guise  of  f.-icndship, 
bad  stolen  into  the  Eden  of  my  love,  and  left  it  barrenless  of  affection.  In  a 
word,  yon  detested  governor,  to  whose  inhuman  cruelty  even  the  son  of  my 
brother  has,  by  some  strange  fatality  of  coincidence,  so  recently  fallen  a 
second  sacrifice.  Curses,  curses  on  him,"  he  pursued  with  frightful  vehemence, 
half  rising  as  bo  spoke,  and  holding  forth  his  right  arm  in  a  menacing  atti* 
tttde ;  "  but  ihn  hour  of  retribution  is  at  hand,  and  revenge,  the  exclusive 
passion  of  the  gods,  shall  at  length  be  mine.  In  no  other  country  in  the 
world — under  no  other  circilmstanccs  than  the  present — could  I  have  so  se> 
cured  it. 

"  What  were  the  charges  preferred  against  me  ?"  he  continued,  with  a  vio- 
lence that  almost  petrified  the  unhappy  girl.  "  Hear  them,  and  judge  whether 
I  have  not  cause  for  the  inextinguishable  hate  that  rankles  at  my  heart. 
Every  trifling  disobedience  of  orders—every  partial  neglect  of  duty  that  could 
be  raked  up — was  tortiu^  into  a  specific  charge ;  and,  as  I  have  already  ad- 
mitted, I  had  latterly  transgressed  not  a  little  in  this  respect,  these  were  nu- 
merous enough.  Yet  they  were  but  preparatory  to  others  of  greater  magni- 
tude. Will  you,  can  you  believe  anything  half  so  atrocious,  as  that  your 
fitther  should  have  called  on  a  petty  officer  not  only  to  prove  some  violent  and 
insubordinate  l&nguage  I  had  used  in  reference  to  the  commandmg  officer  in  , 
my  own  rooms,  but  also  to  substantiate  a  charge  of  cowardice,  grounded  on 
the  unwillingness  I  had  expressed  to  accompany  Jthe  expedition,  and  the  ex- 
toiordinary  trepidation  I  haid  evinced  while  preparing  for  the  duty,  manifested, 
as  it  was  stated  to  be,  by  the  various  errors  he  had  rectified  in  my  equipment 
with  his  own  hand  1  Yes,^even  this  pitiful  charge  was  one  of  the  many  pre- 
ferred ;  but  the  severest  was  that  which  he  had  the  unblushing  efirontery  to 
make  the  subject  of  public  investigation,^  rather  than  of  private  redress — the 
blow  I  had  struck  him  in  his  own  apartments.  And  who  was  his  witness  in 
this  monstrous  charge  ? — your  mother,  Clara.  Yea,  I  stood  as  a  criminal  in 
her  presence ;  and  yet  she  came  forward  to  tender  an  evidence  that  was  to 
consign  me  to  a  disgraceful  sentence.  My  vile  prosecutor  had,  moreover,  the 
encouragement  and  sanction  of  his  colonel  throughout,  and  by  him  ho  was 
upheld  in  every  contemptible  charge  his  ingenuity  could  devise.  Do  you  not 
anticipate  the  result  ? — I  was  found  guilty  and  dismissed  the  service. 

"  What  agonies  of  mind  I  endured, — what  burning  tears  I  nightly  shed 
npon  a  pillow  I  was  destined  to  press  in  freezing  loneliness, — what  hours  of 
solitude  I  passed,  far  from  the  haunts  of  my  fellow-mcn,  and  forming  plan^ 
of  vengeance, — it  would  take  much  longer  time  to  relate  than  I  have  actually 
bestowed  on  my  unhappy  history.  To  comprehend  their  extent  and  force 
you  must  understand  the  heart  of  fire  in  which  the  deep  sense  of  injury  had 
taJcen  root ;  but  the  night  wears  away,  and  briefly  told  must  be  the  remainder 
al  my  tale.  The  rebellion  of  Forty- Five  saw  me  in  arms  in  the  Scottish  ranks; 
and,  in  one  instance,  opposed  to  the  regiment  from  which  I  had  been  so  igno- 
miniously  expelled.  Never  did  revenge  glow  like  a  living  fire  in  the  heart  of 
vman  as  it  did  in  mine ;  for  the  effect  of  my  long  brooding  in  solitude  had 
Heen  to  inspire  me  with  a  detestation,  not  merely  for  those  who  had  been 
most  rancorous  in  their  enmity,  but  for  every thmg  that  wore  the  uniform, 
from  the  commanding  officer  down  to  the  meanest  private.  Every  blow  that 
I  dealt,  every  life  that  I  sacrificed,  was  an  insult  washed  away  from  my  at- 
tainted honor;  but  him  whom  I  most  sought  in  the  mA16c  I  never  could 
reach.  At  length  the  corps  to  which  I  had  attached  myself  was  repulsed,  and 
I  saw,'with  rage  in  my  heart,  that  my  enemy  still  Uvcd  to  triumph  in  the 
fruit  of  his  villany. 

"  Although  I  was  grown  considerably  in  stature  at  this  period,  and  was 
otborwise  greatly  altered  in  appearance,  I  had  been  recogniflcA  in  the  action 
hgr  numbers  of  the  regiment }  and,  indeed,  more  than  once  I  had,  ioKthe  in- 


^ 


SOS 


waoousta;    or,  thb   pbophbot. 


toxication  of  my  ragc^  «ocompamed  tho  blow  that  slew  or  maimed  one  oT  tof 
former  associates  with  a  declaration  of  the  naipe  of  him  who  inflicted  i1^  Tht 
consequence  was,  I  was  denounced  as  a  rebel  and  an  outlaw,  and  a  price  was 
put  upon  my  head.  Accustomed,  however,  as  I  had  ever  been,  to  rocks  and 
ustnesses,  I  had  no  difSculty  in  eluding  the  vigilance  of  those  who  were  sent 
in  pursuit  of  me ;  and  thus  compelled  to  live  wholly  apart  from  my  species,  I 
at  length  learned  to  hate  them,  and  to  know  that  man  is  the  only  enemy  of 
man  upon  earth.  * 

"  A  change  now  came  over  the  spirit  of  my  vangeancc ;  for  about  this  period 
your  mother  died.  She  was  the  only  being  I  had  ever  looked  upon  with 
fondness ;  and  deeply  even  as  I  had  been  injured  by  her,  I  wept  her  memory 
with  manjr  a  scalding  tear.  This,  however,  only  increased  my  hatred  forliim  . 
who  had  rioted  in  her  beauty  and  supplanted  me  in  her  devotedness.  I  had 
the  means  of  learning,  occasionally,  all  that  passed  in  the  regiment,  and  Ihe 
same  account  that  brouglit  me  the  news  of  your  mother's  death,  al^o  gave  mo 
the  intelligence  that  three  children  had  been  the  fruit  of  her  union  with  Be 
Haldimar.  I  heard  moreover,  (and  this  gave  me  pleasun?,)  that  their  fathef 
doatcd  on  them ;  and  from  that  moment  I  resolved  to  turi:  his  Qpp  of  joy  into 
bitterness,  even  as  I^e  had  turned  mine.  I  no  longer  sought  his  life ;  for  tho 
jealousy  that  had  half  impelled  that  thirst  existed  no  longer:  but,  deeming 
nis  cola  nature  at  least  accessible  through  his  parental  affection,  I  was  resolved 
that  in  his  children  he  should  suffer  a^  portion  of  the  agonies  he  had  inflicted 
on  me.  I  waited,  however,  until  they  should  be  grown  up  to  an  age  when 
the  heart  of  the  parent  would  be  more  likely  to  mourn  their  loss ;  and  then  I 
was  determined  my  vengeance  should  be  complete. 

«  Circumstances  singularly  favored  my  design.  Many  years  afterward^  tho 
regiment  formed  one  of  the  expeditions  against  Quebec  under  General  Wolfe. 
The]^  were  commanded  by  your  father,  who,  in  the  course  of  promotion,  had 
obtained  the  lieutenant-colonelcy ;  and  I  observed  by  the  army  list,  that  » 
subaltern  of  the  same  name,  whom  I  presumed  to  be  his  eldest  son,  was  in  the 
corps.  Here  was  a  field  for  my  vengeance  beyond  any  I  could  have  hoped  for. 
I  contrived  to  pass  over  into  uornwall,  the  ban  of  outlawry  being  still  unre- 
pMBaled :  and  having  procured  from  my  brother  a  sdm  sufBeient  for  Iny  neces- 
sities, and  bade  him  an  eternal  farewell,  embarked  in  a  fishing-boat  for  tho 
coast  of  France,  whence  I  subsequently  took  a  passage  to  this  country.  At 
Montreal  I  found  the  French  general,  who  gladly  received  my  allegiance  as  a 
subject  of  France,  and  gave  me  a  commission  in  one  of  the  provincial  corps 
that  usually  served  in  conbert  with  pur  Indian  allies.  With  tho  general  I  soon 
became  a  favorite ;  and,  as  a  mark  of  his  confidpnce^  at  the  attack  on  QuebeO} 
he  entrusted  me  with  the  command  of  a  detached  irregular  force,  consistinir 
partly  of  Canadians  and  partly  of  Indians,  intended  to  harrass  the  flanks  of 
the  British  army.  This  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  being  at  whatever  point  of 
the  field  I  might  think  most  favorable  t&  my  design ;  and  I  was  too  familiar 
with  ^e  detested  uniform  of  the  redmcnt  not  to  be  able  to  distinguish, 
it  f^om  afar.  In  a  word,  Clara,  for  I  am  weary  of  my  own  tal&  in  that 
engagement  I  had  an  opportunity  of  recognising;  your  brother.  lie  struck 
me  bv  his  martial  appearance  as  he  encouraged  his  grenadiers  to  the  attack' of 
the  French  columns ;  and  as  I  turned  my  eye  upon  him  in  admiration,  I  was 
stung  to  the  soul  by  his  resemblance  to  his  father.  Vengeance  thrilled 
throughout  every  fibre  of  my  frame  at  that  momient.  The  opportunity  I  had 
long  sought  was  at  length  arrived ;  sftd  already,  in  anticipation,  I  enjoyed  tho 
conquest  his  fall  would  occasion  to  my  enemy.  I  rushed  within  a  few  fbet  Of 
my  victim ;  but  the  bullet  aimed  at  his  heart  was  received  in  the  breast  of  « 
fiuthfUl  soldier,  who  had  flown  to  intercept  it  How  I  cursed  tho  meddler  tat 
his  ofllciousnesa  t" 

"Oh.  that  soldier  was  your  nephew,"  eagerly  intorrtipted  Clara,  pointinff  to- 
wards nor  companion,  who  had  fallen  into  a  profound  slumber,. "  the  husMad 
of  this  unfortunate  woman.    Frank  Hallowy  (for  by  that  name  was  he  alont 


V 


waoousta;  or,  thk  prophkoy. 


203 


the 
At 

as  (I 


WM 

Uled 

ithe 
et«f 
oift 
rfor 

to- 


known  m  the  regiment)  loved  my  brother  as  though  he  had  been  of  the  same 
blood.  He  it  wa^  who  flew  to  receive  the  ball  that  was  destined  for  another. 
But  I  nursed  him  on  his  couch  of  suffering,  and  with  my  own  hands  prepared 
his  food  and  di  :ssed  his  wound.  Oh,  if  pity  can  touch  your  heart  (and  I  will 
nc^t  believe  that  a  heart  that  once  felt  as  you  say  yours  has  felt,  can  be  inao* 
oessible  to  pity,)  let  the  recollection  of  your  nephew's  devotedness  to  my 
mother's  chUd  disarm  you  of  vengeance,  and  induce  you  to  restore  us !" 

"  Never !"  tmindered  Wacousta, — "  never  I  The  very  circumstance  you  hare 
now  named  is  an  additional  incentive  to  my  vengeance.  My  nephew  saved  tho 
life  of  your  brother  at  the'  hazard  of  his  own ;  and  how  has  he  been  rew%|rded 
for  the  generous  deed  ?  By  an  ignominious  death,  inflicted,  perhaps,  for  some 
ofleace  not  more  dishonoring  than  those  which  have  thrown  me  an  outcast 
upon  these  wilds ;  and  that  at  the  command  and  in  the  presence  of  the  father 
of  him  whose  life  he  was  fool  enough  to  preserve.  Yet,  what  but  ingratitude 
of  the  grossest  nature  could  a  Morton  expect  at  the  hands  of  the  false  familv 
of  De  Ualdimar  I  They  were  destined  to  be  our  bane,  and  well  have  they  ftu* 
filled  the  end  for  which  they  were  created." 

"  Almighty  Providence,''  aspirated,  the  sinking  Clara,  as  she  turned  her 
streaming  feyes  to  heaven ;  "  can  it  be  that  the  human  heart  can  undergo  such 
change  1  Can  this  be  the  being  who  once  loved  mv  mother  with- a  purity  and 
tenderness  of  affection  that  angels  themselves  might  hallow  with  approval ;  or 
is  all  that  I  have  heard  but  a  bewildering^lream  ?" 

"  No,  Clara,"  calmly  and  even  solemnly  returned  the  warrior ;  "  it  is  no 
dream,  but  a  reality—^  sad,  dreadful,  heart-rending  reality ;  yet'  if  I  am  that 
altered  being,  to  whom  is  the  change  to  be  ascribed  ?  Who  turned  the  gene- 
rous current  of  my  blood  into  a  river  of  overflowing  gall  ? — Your  father  t 
But  these  are  idle  words.-  What  I  have  been,  you  know;  what  I  now  am,  and 
through  what  agency  I  have  been  rendered  what  I  am,  you  know  also.  Not 
more  fixed  is  fate  than  my  purpose.  Your  brother  dies  even  on  the  spot  on 
which  my  nephew  died';  and  you,  Clara,  shall  be  my  bride;  and  the  first 
thing  your  children  shall  be  taught  to  lisp  shall  be  purses  on  the  vile  name  of 
DeHaldimarl" 

"  Once  more,  in  the  name  of  my  sainted  mother,  I  implore  you  to  have 
mercy,"  slirieked  tho  unhappy  Clara.  "  Oh  1"  she  continued  with  vehement  sup- 
plication, ^'  let  the  days  of  your  early  love  be  brought  back  to  your  memory, 
that  your  heart  may  be  softened ;  and  cut  yourself  not  wholly  off  from  youv 
God,  by  the  commission  of  such  dreadful  outrages.  Again,  I  conjure  you,  re- 
store us  to  my  father." 

"  Never  I"  savagely  repeated  Wacousta;  "  I  have  passed  years  of  torture  in 
the  hope  of  such  an  hour  as  this ;  and  now  that  fruition  is  within  my  grasp^ 
may  I  perish  if  I  forego  it  1  Ha,  sir  I"  turning  from  the  almost  fainting  Clan 
to  b'lT  Everard,  who  had  listened  with  deep  attention  to  the  history  of  this  ex- 
traordinary man; — "for  this,"  and  he  thrust  aside  the  breast  of  his  hunting 
coat,  exhibing  the  scar  of  a  long  but  superficial  Wound, — for  this  do  you  owe 
me  a  severe  reckoning.  I  would  recommend  you,  however," — and  he  spoke  in 
mockery, — *'  when  next  you  drive  a  weapon  into  the  chest  of  an  unresisting 
enqpy.  to  be  more  certain  of  your  aim.  Had  that  been  as  true  as  the  blow 
firom  tne  butt  of  your  rifle,  I  should  not  have  lived  to  triumph  in  this  hour.  I 
little  deemed,"  he  pursued,  still  addressing  the  nearly  heart-broken  otKccr  in 
the  same  insolent  strain,  "  that  my  intrigue  with  that  dark-eyed  daughter  of 
the  old  Canadian  would  havo  been  the  means  of  throwing  your  companion  so 
speedily  into  my  power,  after  his  first  narrow  escape.  Your  disguise  was  well 
managed,  I  confess ;  and  but  that  there  is  an  instinct  about  me,  enabling  me 
to  discover  a  Do  Ualdimar,  as  a  hound  does  the  deer,  bv  scent,  yoa  might 
have  succeeded  in  passing  for  what  you  appeared.  "  But ''  (and  his  tone  sud- 
denly changed  its  irony  for-fierceness)  "  to  tlie  point,  su*.  That  you  are  the 
lover  of  this  girl  I  clearly  perceive,  and  death  were  preferable  to  a  life  embit- 
tered by  tho  recollection  that  sho  whom  we  love  reposes  in  the  arms  of  another* 


' 


S04 


waoovsta;    or.  thb   prophsct 


m 


No  sach  kindness  is  meant  yon,  however.  To-morrow  you  shall  rettAu  to  the 
fort  J  and,  when  there,  you  may  tell  your  colonel,  that  in  exchange  for  a  cer- 
tain miniature  and  letters,  which  in  the  hurry  of  departure,  I  dropped  in  hia 
apartment,  some  ten  days  since,  Sir  Reginald  Morton,  the  outlaw,  nas  taken 
his  dj^ughter  Clara  to  wife,  but  without  the  solemnisation  of  those  tedious 
forms  that  bound  himself  in  accursed  onion  with  her  mother.  Oh  1  what 
would  I  not  give,"  he  continued  bitterly,  "  to  witness  the  pang  inflicted  on  bis 
false  heart,  when  first  the  damning  truth  arrests  his  ear.  Never  did  I  know 
the  triumph  of  my  power  until  now;  for  what  revgnge  can  be  half  so  sweet 
as  that  which  attains  a  loathed  enemy  through  the  dishonor  of  hid  child  1 
But,  hark !  what  mean  those  sounds  V* 

A  loud  yelling  was  now  heard  at  some  distance  in  rear  of  the  tent.  Pro* 
sently  the  bounding  of  many  feet  on  the  turf  was  distinguishable ;  and  then, 
at  intervals,  tht  peculiar  cry  that  announces  the  escape  of  a  prisoner.  Wft- 
oousta  started  to  his  feet,  and  fiercely  grasping  his  tomahawk,  advanced  to 
the  front  of  the  tent,  where  he  seemed  to  listen  for  a  moment  attentively,  as 
if  endeavoring  to  catch  the  direction  of  the  pursuit. 

"  Ha !  by  heaven!"  he  exclaimed,  "there  must  be  treachery  in  this,  or  yon 
slippery  captain  would  not  so  soon  be  at  his  flight  again,  bound  as  I  had  bound 
him."  Then  uttering  a  deafening  yell,  and  rushing  past  Sir  Everard,  near 
whom  he  paused  an  instant,  as  if  undecided  whether  he  should  not  first  dis- 
pose of  him,  as  a  precautionary  measure,  he  flew  with  the  speed  of  an  antelope 
m  the  direction  in  which  he  was  guided  by  the  gradually  receding  sounds. 

"The  knife,- Miss  de  Haldimar,*'  exclaimed  Sir  Everard,  after  a  few  mo- 
ments  of  breathless  and  intense  anxiety.  "  See,  there  is  oi^e  in  the  belt  that 
Ellen  Ilalloway  has  girt  around  her  loms.  Quick,  for  heaven's  sake,  quick; 
our  only  chance  is  in  this." 

'  With  an  activity  arising  from  despair,  the  unhappy  Clara  sprang  from  the 
rude  couch  on  which  she  had  been  left  by  Wacoustq.,  and  stooping  over  the 
form  of  the  maniacf  extended  her  hand  to  remove  the  weapon  from  her  side : 
but  Ellen,  who  had  been  awakened  fi^m  her  long  slumber  by  the  yells  just 
uttered,  seemed  resolute  to  prevent  it.  A  struggle  for  its  possession  now  en- 
sued between  these  frail  arid  delicate  beings ;  in  which  Clara,  however,  had  the 
advantage,  not  only  from  the  recumbent  position  of  her  opponent,  but  from 
the  greater  security  of  her  grasp.  At  length,  with  a  violent  efibii.  she  cor.- 
triv^  to  disengage  it  from  the  sheath,  around  which  Ellen  had  closuy  clasped 
both  her  hands ;  but,  with  the  quickness  of  thought,  the  latter  Vere  again 
clenched  round  the  naked  blade,  and  without  any  other  evident  motive  wan 
what  originated  in  the  obstinacy  of  her  madness,  the  unfortunate  woman 
fiercely  attempted  to  wrest  it  way.  In  the  act  of  doing  so,  her  hinds  weno 
dreadfully  cut ;  and  Clara,  shocked  at  the  sight  of  the  blood  she  harl  been  the 
means  of  shedding,  lost  all  the  energy  she  had  summon^edj  and  sunk^  senseless 
at  the  feet  of  maniac,  who  now  b^an  to  utter  the  most  piteous  dries. 

"  Oh,  God,  we  are  lost,"  exclaimed  Sir  Everard ;  "  the  voice  of  that  wretch- 
ed woman  has  alarmed  our  enemy,  and  even  now  I  hear  him  approachhig 
Quick,  Clara,  give  me  the  knife.    But  no,  it  is  now  too  late ;  he  is  here."  "^ 

At  that  instant,  the  dark  form  of  a  warrior  rushed  noiselessly  to  the  spot  on 
which  he  stood.  The  o£Bccr  turned  his£3res  in  desperation  on  his  enemy,  buc 
a  single  glance  was  sufficient  to  assure  him  it  was  not  Wacousta.  The  In- 
^n  paused  not  in  his  course,  but  passing  close  round  the  tree  to  which  the 
baronet  was  attached,  made  a  circular  movement,  that  brought  hiiA  in  a  line 
with  the  direction  that  had  been  taken  by  his  enemy ;  and  a^n  they  were 
left  alone. 

A  new  fear  now  oppressed  thp  heart  of  the  unfortunate  YalletCTtj'even  to 
agony :  Clara  still  lay  senseless,  speechless  before  him ;  and  his  iinpression 
was,  that,  in  the  struggle,  Ellen  UaHoway  had  murdered  her.  The  latt«r  yet 
continued  her  cries }  and,  as  she  held  up  her  hands,  he  could  see  by  the  nr^ 
light  they  were  covered  with  blood.    An  instinctive  impulse  causeil  kmi  «# 


•WA00V8TA;     OR,    THE     PROPHBOY. 


205 


Ixrand  forward  to  the  assistance  of  the  motionless  Clara ;  when,  to  his  infinite 
surprise  and  joy,  he  discovered  the  cord,  which  had  bound  him  to  the  tree,  to 
be  severed.  The  Indian  who  had  just  passed  had  evidently  been  his  deliverer; 
•nd  a  sudden  flash  of  recollection  recalled  the  figure  of  the  warrior  that  had 
escaped  from  the  schooner  and  was  supposed  to  have  leaped  into  the  conoe  of 
Oucanasta  at  the  moment  when  Madeline  de  ^aldimar  was  removed  into  that 
of  the  Canadian. 

In  a  transport  of  conflicting  feelings,  Sir  Everard  now  raised  the  insensible 
Clara  from  the  ground  ;>and,  having  satisfied  himself  she  hud  sustained  no 
serious  injury,  prepared  for  a  flight  which  he  felt  to  be  desperate,  if  not  alto-  , 
gether  hopeless.  There  was  not  a  moment  to  be  lost,  for  the  cries  of  the 
wretched  Ellen  increased  in  violence,  as  she  seeded  sensible  she  was  about 
to  be  left  utterly  alone ;  and  ever  and  anon,  although  afar  off,  yet  evidently 
drawing  nearer,  was  to  be  heard  the  fierce  denouncing  yell  of  Wacousta. 
The  spot  on  which  tLe  officer  stood,  was  not  far  from  that  whence  his  unfor- 
tunate friend  had  commenced  his  flight  on  the  first  memorable  occasion ;  and 
as  the  moon  shone  brightly  i^  the  cloudless  heavens,  there  could  bo  no  mis- 
take in  the  cdurse  he  was  to  pursue.  Dashing  down  the  steep,  therefor^ 
with  all  the  speed  his  beloved  burden  would  enable  him  to  attain,  he  made 
immediately  for  the  bridge  over  which  his  only  chance  of  safety  lay. 
^  It  unfortunately  happened,  however,  that,  induced  either  by  the  malice  of 
het  insanity,  or  really  terrified  at  the  loneliness  of  her  position,  the  wretched 
Ellen  Halloway  had  likewise  qmtted  the  tent,  and  now  followed  close  in  the 
rear  of  the  fugitives,  still  sttenne  the  same  piercing  ories  of  anguish.  The 
voice  of  Wacousta  was  also  afsaiB  heard  in  the  distance :  and  Sir  Everard  had 
the  inexpressible  horror  to  find  that,  guided  by  the  shrieks  of  the  maniac 
woman,  he  was  now  shaping  his  course,  not  to  the  tent  where  he  had  left  his 

Erisoners,  but  in  an  oblique  direction  towards  the  bridge,  where  he  evidentlr 
oped  to  intercept  them.  Aware  of  the  extreme  disadvantage  under  whicn 
he  labored  in  a  competition  of 'speed  with  his  active  enemy,  the  unhappy  offi- 
cer would  have  here  terminated  the  struggle,  had  he  not  been  partially  sus- 
tained by  the  hope  that  the  detachment  prayed  for  bv  De  Haldimar,  through 
the  friendly  young  chie^  to  whom  he  ow«l  ms  own  liberation,  might  be  about 
this  time  on  its  way  to  attempt  their  rescue.  This  thought  supported  his  fal- 
tering  resolution,  although  nearly  exhau;;ted  with  his  efforts — compelled,  as 
he  was,  to  sustain  the  motionless  form  of  the  slowly  reviving  Clara ;  ana  ho 
again  braced  himself  to  the  unequal  flight.  The  moon  still  shone  beautifully 
bright^ and  ho  could  now  distinctly  see  the  bridge  over  which  he  was  to  pass} 
but  notwithstanding  he  strained  his  eyes  as  he  advanced,  no  vestige  of  a 
BHtish  uniform  was  to  be  seen  in  the  open  space  ihat  lay  beyond.  Onoe  he 
turned  to  regard  jiis  pursuers.  Ellen  was  a  few  yards  only  in  his  rear ;  and 
considerably  beyond  her  rose,  in  tall  relief  against  the  heavens,  the  gigantic 
fbrm  of  the  warrior.  The  pursuit  of  the  latter  was  now  condu6ted  with  a 
silence  that  terrified  even  more  than  the  yells  he  had  previously  uttered ;  and 
he  gained  so  rapidly  on  his  victims,  that  the  tread  of  his  large  feet  was  now 
distmctly  audible.  Again  the  officer,  with  despair  in  his  heart,  made  the 
most  incredible  exertions  to  reach -the  bridge,  without  seeming  to  reflect  that, 
even  when  there,  no  security  was  offered  him  against  his  enemy.  Onoe,  as  he 
drew  nearer,  he  fancied  he  saw  the  dark  heads  of  human  beings  peering  from 
under  the  part  of  the  arch  which  had  afforded  cover  to  De  Haldimar  and  him- 
self on  the  memorable  occasion  of  their  departure  with  the  Canadian ;  and, 
convinced  that  the  warriors  of  Wacousta  had  been  sent  there  to  lie  in  ambus- 
cade and  intercept  his  retreat,  his  hopes  were  utterly  paralysed ;  and  although 
he  stooped  not,  his  flight  was  rather  mechanical  than  the  fruit  of  any  ilyste 
matic  plan  of  escape. 

He  had  now  gained  the  extremity  of  the  bridge,  with  Ellen  Halloway  and 
Wlbousta  close  in  his  rear,  when  suddenly  the  heads  of  many  men  were  onoe 
more  distinguishable,  even  in  the  shadow  of  the  arch  that  overhung  the  sands 


•^i 


li 


206 


VA00U8TA;     OR,    THB     PROPMBOT*. 


i,!  ■ 


of  the  river.  Three  individuals  detached'them^Ives  from  the  gi^oup,  and  leap' 
ing  upon  the  fUrthcr  extremity  of  the  bridge,  moved  rapidly  to  meet  him. 
^  Meanwhile  the  baronet  had  stopped  suddenly,  as  if  in  doubt  whether  to  a^' 
vance  or  recede.  His  suspense- was  but  momentary.  Although  the  persora 
of  these  men  were  disguised  (is  Indian  warriors,  the  broad  moonlight  that 
beamed  full  on  their  countenances  disclosed  the  well-remembered  features  of 
Blessington,  Erskine,  and  Charles  de  Haldimar.  The  latter  sprang  before  hla 
compamons,  and,  uttering  a  cry  of  joy,  sank  in  speechless  agony  on  the  neck 
of  his  still  unconscious  sister.  * 

"  For  God's  sake,  free  m^,  De  Haldimar !"  exclaimed  the  excited  baronet 
disengaging  his  charge  from  the  embrace  of  his  friend.  "  This  is  no  moment 
for  gratulation.  Erskine,  Blessington,  «ee  you  not  who  is  behind  mei?'  Be 
Oj^on  vour  guard ;  defend  your  lives !"  And  as  he  spoke,  he  rushed  forward 
with  faint  and  tottering  steps  to  place  his  companions  between  the  unhappy 
girl  and  the  dange'r  that  threatened  hei*.  » 

The  swords  of  the  officers  were  drawn  j  but  instead  of  advancing  upon  the 
formidable  being,  who  stood  as  if  paralysed  at  this  unexpected  rencoiltre,  the 
two  seniors  contented  themselves  with  assuming  a  defensive  attitude, — ^retip> 
ing  slowly  and  gradually  towards  the  other  extremity  of  the  bridge. 

Overcome  by  his  emotion,  Oharles  de  Haldimar  had  not  noticed  this  action 
of  his  companions,  and  stood  apparently  riveted  to  the  spot.  The  voice  of 
Blessingto;!  (^ling  on  him  by  name  to  retire,  seemed  to  arouse  the  dormant 
consciousness  of  the  unhappy  maniac^  She  uttered  a  piercing  shriek,  and 
springing  forward,  sdnk  on  her  knees  at  his  feet,  exclaiming,  as  &he  forcibly 
detained  him  by  his  dress — ' 

**  Almighty  Heaven !  where  am  I  ?  surely  that  was  Captain  Blessington's 
kind  voice  I  heard ;  and  you — you  are  Charles  do  Haldimar.    Oh  I  save  my 

husband ;  plead  for  him  with  your  father ! but  no,"  she  continued  wildly, 

-^"  he  is  dead — ^ho  is  murdered !    Behold  these  hi  nds  all  covered  with  his 
blood! ^» 

"  Ha !  another  De  Haldimar  I"  exclaimed  Wacousta,  recovering  his  slum* 
bering  energies,  "this  spot  seems  indeed  fated  for 'our  meeting.  More  than 
thrice  have  I  been  baiUked  of  my  just  revenge,  but  now  wul  I  secure  IL 
Thus,  Ellen,  do  I  avenge  your  husband's  and  my  nephew's  death.  My  own 
wrongs  demand  another  sacrifice.''  But,  ha !  where  is  she?  where  is  Clara? 
where  is  my  bride  ?" 

Bounding  over  the  ill-fated  De  Haldimar.  who  lay,  even  in  death,  firmly 
clasped  in  the  embrace  of  the  wretched  Ellen,  the  fierce  man  dashed  furiously 
forward  to  renew  his  pul'suit  of  the  fugitives.  But  suddenly  the  extremi^ 
of  the  bridge  was  filled  with  a  column  of  armed  men,  that  kept  issuing  from 
the  arch  l^neath.  Sensible  of  his  danger,  he  sought  to  make  good  his  re- 
treat ;  but  when  he  turned  for  the  purpose,  the  same  fbrmidable  array  met 
bis  view  at  the  opposite  extremity ;  and  both  parties  now  rapidly  advanced  in 
double  quick  time,  evidently  with  a  view  of  closing  upon  and  taking  him  pri- 
Bonpr.  In  this  delemma,  his  onlv  hope  was  in  the  assistance  that  might  be 
rendered  him  by  his  warriors.  A  yell,  so  terrific  as  to  be  distinctly  heard  in 
the  fort  itself,  burst  from  his  vast  chest,  and  rolled  in  prolonged  echoes 
through  the  forest.  It  was  faintly  answered  from  the  encampment,  and  met 
by  deep  but  noiseless  curses  from  the  exasperated  soldiery,  whom  the  sight  of 
their  murdered  officer  was  momentarily  working  into  frenzy. 

"  Kill  him  not,  for  your  lives ! — I  (Jommand  you,  men^  kill  him  not  I"  muV 
tered  Captain  Blessington  with  suppressed  passion,  as  his  troops  were  prepar- 
fag  to  immolate  him  on  their  clustering  bayonets:  "  Such  a  death  were,  :q- 
dwd,  mercy  to  such  a  villain." 

"  Ha  I  ha  I"  laughed  Wacousta  in  better  scorn ;  "  who  is  there  of  all  your 
Bocursed  regiment  who  will  dare  to  take  him  alive  ?"  Then  brandishing  his 
tomahawk  around  him,  to  prevent  their  finally  closing,  he  dealt  his  blows 
with  such  astonishing  velocit^,  that  no  unguarded  point  was  left  about  his  per* 


\ 


'WA00U8TA;  OR,  1ME  PROPHSOT. 


907 


■on ;  and  more  than  on«  soldier  was  brought  to  the  earth  in  the  course  of  the 
unequal  struggle.  t 

,  «  By  G— d  I"  said  Captain  Erskine,  "  are  the  two  best  compaaies  of  the  n- 
fliment  to  be  kept  at  bay  by  a  single  desperado  ?  Shame  on  ye,  fellows !  If 
His  hands  are  too  many  for  you,  lay  him  by  the  heels." 

This  ruse  was  practised  with  success.  In  attempting  to  defend  himself  from 
the  attack  of  those  who  sought  to  throw  him  down,  the  warrior  necessarily  left 
his  upper  person  exposed ;  when  advantage  was  taken  to  close  with  him  and 
deprive  him  of  the  play  of  his  arms.  It  was  not,  however,  without  consider- 
able diflBculty,  that  the^  succeeded  in  disarming  and  binding  his  hands  j  after 
which  a  strong  jcord  bemg  fastened  round  his  waist,  he  was  tightly  lashed  to  a 
gun,  which,  contrary  to  the  original  intention  of  the  governor,  had  been  sent 
out  with  the  expedition.  The  retreat  of  the  detachment  then  commenced  ra- 
pidly i  but  it  was  not  without  being  hotly  pursued  by  the  band  of  warriors 
the  yell  of  Wacousta  had  summoned  in  pursuit,  that  they  finally  gained  the 
fort ;  under  what  feelings  of  sorrow  for  the  fate  of  an  officer  so  beloved,  wo 
leave  it  to  our  readers  to  ima^ne. 


slum- 

than 
are  it.     ' 

own 
lara?     * 


:n- 


yonr 

(ng  hiM 

blowa 

kisper- 


CHAPTER  XXXin. 

The  morning  of  the  next  day  dawned  on  few  who  had  pressed  their  custo- 
mary couches— on  none,  whose  feverish  pulse  and  bloodshot  eye  failed  to 
attest  the  utter  sleeplessness  in  which  the  night  had  been  passed.  Numerous 
groups  of  men  were  to  be  seen  assembling  after  the  reveillfi,  in  various  parts 
of  the  barrack  square — those  who  had  borne  a  part  in  the  recent  expedition 
commingling  with  those  who  had  not,  and  recounting  to  the  latter,  with 
mournful  look  and  voice,  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  bereavement 
of  their  universally  lamented  officer.  As  none,  however,  had  seen  the  blow 
struck  that  deprived  him  of  life,  although  each  nad  heard  the  frantic  exclama- 
tions of  a  voice  ^hat  had  bcea  recognised  for  Ellen  Halloway's,  much  of  the 
marvellous  was  necessarily  mixed  up  with  truth  in  their  narrative, — some 
positively  affirming  Mr.  de  Ilaldim^  had  not  once  quitted  his  party,  and  de- 
claring that  nothing  short  of  a  supernatural  agency  could  have  transported 
him  unnoticed  to  the  fatal  spot,  where,  in  their  advance,  they  had  beheld  him 
murdered.  The  singular  appearance  of  Ellen  Halloway  also,  at  that  moment 
on  the  very  bridge  on  which  she  had  pronounced  h^r  curse  on  the  family  of 
De  Haldimar,  and  in  company  with  the  terrible  and  mysterious  being  who 
had  borne  her  off  in  triumph  on  that  occasion  to  the  forest,  and  under  cir^ 
cumstances  calculated  to  excite  the  most  superstitious  impressions,  was  not 
without  its  weight  in  determining  their  rude  speculations ;  and  all  concurred 
in  opinion,  that  the  death  of  the  unfortunate  young  officer  was  a  judgment  on 
their  colonel  for  the  little  mercy  he  had  extended  to  the  noble-hearted  Hal- 
loway. J    «._* 

"  Then  followed  allusion  to  their  captive,  whose  gigantic  stature  and  efforts 
'tt  escape,  tremendous  even  as  the  latter  were,  were  duly  exaggerated  by  each^ 
with  tjie  very  laudable  view  of  claiming  a  proportionate  share  of  credit  for 
his  own  individual  exertions ;  and  many  and  various  were  the  opinions  ex- 
pressed as  to  the  manner  of  deal^h  he  should  be  made  to  suffer.  Among  the 
most  cdnspicuous  of  the  orators  were  those  with  whorii  our  readers  have  al- 
ftady  made  slight  acquaintance  in  our  account  of  the  sortie  by  Ca^am  Ers- 
kine's  company  for  the  recovery  of  the  supposed  body  of  Frederick  de  Haldimar. 
One  was  for  impaJing  him  alive,  and  setting  him  up  to  rot  on  the  platform 
above  the  gate.    Another  for  blowing  him  from  the  muzzle  of  a  twenty-four 

E>under,  into  the  centre  of  the  first  band  of  Indians  that  approached  the 
rt,  that  thus  perceiving  they  had  lost  the  strength  and  sinew  of  their  oun- 


J 


Jl; 


I- 


I  'p'J 


206 


W40017  8TA;     0R«    THB     PROPHBST. 


ning  war,  they  might  be  the  more  easily  induced  to  propose  terms  of  peaotk 
A  third  was  of  opinion  he  ought  to  be  chained  to  the  top  of  the  flag-staff,  as 
a  target,  to  be  shot  at  with  arrows  onlpr,  contriving  never  to  touch  a  mortal 
part.  A  fourth  would  have  had  him  tiea  naked  over  the  sharp  spikes  that 
ccQstituted  the  chevaux-de-fMzd  garnishing  the  sides  of  the  drawbridge. 
]v,xh  devised  some  new  death — proposed  some  new  torture ;  but  all  were  of 
opinion,  that  simply  to  be  shot,  or  even  to^e  hanged,  was  too  merciful  a  pun- 
i^ment  for  the  wretch  who  had  so  wantonly  and  inhumanly  butchered  the 
kind-heartedj  gentle-mannered  ofBcer,  whom  they  had  almost  all  known  and 
loved  fi-om  his  very  boyhood ;  and  they  looked  forward,  with  mingled  anxiety 
and  vengeance,  to  the  moment  when,  summoned  as  it  was  expected  he  shortly 
would  be,  before  the  assembled  garrison,  he  would  be  made  to  expiate  the 
atrocity  with  his  blood. 

While  the  men  thus  gave  indulgAce  to  their  indignation  and  their  grief 
their  officers  were  even  more  painfully  affected.  The  body  of  the  ill-&ted 
Charles  had  been  borne  to  his  apartment,  where,  divested  of  its  disguise,  it 
|]ad  again  been  inducted  in  such  apparel  as  was  deemed  suited  to  the  purpose. 
E'sitended  on  the  very  bed  on  which  he  lay  at  the  moment  when  she,  whOs« 
IT  aniac  raving,  and  forcible  detention,  had  been  the  immediate  cause  of  hi& 
destruction,  had  preferred  her  wild  out  fruitless  supplication  for  mercy,  he 
exhibited,  even  in  death,  the  same  delicate  beauty  that  had  characterised  nim 
on  that  occasion ;  yet,  with  a  mildqess  and  serenity  of  expression  on  his  stilL 
pale  features,  strongly  in  contrast  with  the  agitation  and  glow  of  excitcmcni 
tlr.t  then  distinguished  him.  ^ 

Around  the  bed  were  grouped  nearly  all  the  officers,  standing  in  attitudes 
in>.licative  of  anxiety  and  interest,  and  gazing  moiumfully  on  the  placid  fea- 
tures of  tiieir  ill-&tcd  friend.  AU,  on  entering,  moved  noiselc^y  over  the 
,  rtxie  floor,  as  though  fearful  of  disturbing  the  repose  of  one  who  merely  slum> 
bored;  and  the  same  precaution  was  extended  to  the  brief  but  heart-felt 
expressions  of  sorrow  that  passed  from  one  to  the  other,  asi  they  gazed  on  aU 
thut  remained  of  the  gentle  De  Haldimar. 

Qradually  the  officers  moved  away  in  the  same  noiseless  manner  they  had 
Aj  jiroached,  either  in  pursuance  of  their  several  duties,  or  to  make  their  toilet 
of  the  morning.  Two  only  of  their  number  remaining  near  the  couch  of 
deftth. 

''  Pofor  unfortunate  De  Haldimar !"  observed  one  of  these,  in  a  low  tone,  as 
il  Hpeakmg  to  himself;  "  too  fatally,  indeed,  have  your  forebodings  been  real- 
ize f;  and  what  I  considered  as  the  mere  despondency  of  a  mind  crushed  into 
foobleness  by  an  accumulation  of  suffering,  was,  i^r  all,  but  the  first  presen- 
timent of  a  death  no  human  power  might  avert.  By  heaven !  I  would  Aih 
Xi\i  half  m^  own  being  to  be  able  to  reanimate  that  form  once  more— but  uie 
wish  is  vam." 

"  Who  shall  announce  the  intelligence  to  his  sister  ?"  sighed  his  companion. 
"  Never  will  that  already  nearly  heart-broken  girl  be  able  to  survive  the  shock 
ol  her  brother's  death.  BlessuigtoUj  you  are  alone  fitted  to  such  a  task ;  and, 
painful  as  it  is,  you  must  undertake  it.  Is  the  colonel  apprised  of  the  dread- 
ful truth,  do  you  know  V^ 

"  He  is.  It  was  told  him  at  the  moment  of  our  arrival  last  night ;  but 
from  the  little  outward  emotion  displayed  by  him,  I  should  be  tempted  to 
infer  he  had  almost  anticipated  some  such  catastrophe." 

'•  Poor,  poor  Charles !"  bitterly  exclaimed  Sir  Everard  Valletort—for  it  wu 
he.  "  What  would  I  not  mve  to  recal  the  rude  manner  in  which  I  spumed 
you  from  me  last  night.  But,  alas  {  what  could  I  do,  laden  with  such  a  trust, 
and  pursued,  without  the  power  of  defence,  by  such  an  enemy  ?  Little,  in- 
deed, did  I  imagine  what  was  so  speedily  to  be  your  doom  I  Blessington,"  ba 
EuTSued,  with  increased  emotion,  "  it  gnevea  me  to  wretchedness  to  think  that 
e,  whom  I  loved  as  though  he  had  been  v^  twin  brother,  should  hate  jnb^ 


\%. 


11! 


waoousta;  or,  thx  prophkoy, 


209 


bnt 
to 

I  it  was 

burned 

trust, 

tie,  in- 


f. 


>* 


5) 


he 


:th»t 


iflhod  with  his  last  thoughts,  perhaps,"  lingering  on  the  seeming  unkindnen 
with' which  I  had  greeted  him  after  so  anxious  an  absence." 

"  Nay,  if  there  be  blame,  it  must  attacl*  to  me,"  sorrowfully  observed  Oap^ 
tain  Blessington.  "  .Had  Erskine  and  myself  not  retired  before  the  savage,  as 
we  did,  our  unfortunate  friend  would  in  all  probability  have  been  alive  at  this 
veiT  hour.  But  in  our  anxiety  to  draw  the  former  mto  the  ambuscade  we 
had  prepared  for  him,  we  utterly  overlooked  that  Charles  was  not  retreating 
with  us."  / 

"  How  happened  it,"  demanded  Sir  Everard.  his  attention  naturally  directed 
to  the  subject  by  the  preceding  remarks,  "  tnat  you  lay  thus  in  ambuscade^ 
I  when  the  object  of  the  expedition,  as  solicited  by  Frederick  de  Haldimar,  was 

an  attempt  to  reach  us  in  the  encampment  of  the  Indians?" 

"  It  certainly  was  under  that  impression  we  left  the  fort ;  but  on  coming  to 

the  spot  where  the  friendly  Indian  lay  waiting  to  conduct  us,  he  proposed  the 

plan  we  subsequently  adopted  as  the  most  likely,  not  only  to  secure  the  es- 

^    cape  of  the  prisoners,  whom  he  pledged  himself  to  liberate,  but  to  defend  our* 

selves  with  advantage  against  Wacousta  and  the  immediate  guard  set  over 

.    them,  should  they  follow  in  pursuit.    Erskine  approving,  as  well  as  myself 

jf  the  plan,  we  halted  at  the  bridge,  and  disposed  of  our  men  under  each  ei^ 

tremity ;  so  that  if  attacked  by  the  Indians  m  front,  we  might  be  enabled  to 

throw  them^  into  confusion  by  taking  them  in  rear,  as  they  flung  themselves 

itpon  the  bridge.    The  event  seemed  to  answer  our  expectations.    The  alarm 

raised  in  the  encampment  satisfied  us  the  young  Indian  had  contrived  to  fulfil 

lus  promise ;  and  we  momentarily  looked  for  the  appearance  of  those  whose 

flight  we  naturally  supposed  would  be  directed  towards  the  bridge.    To  our 

great  surprise,  however,  we  remarked  that  the.  sounds  of  pursuit,  instead  of 

approaching  us,  seemed  to  take  an  opposite  direction,  apparently  towards  the 

pomt  whence  we  had  seen  the  prisoners  disembarked  in  the  morning.    At 

length,  when  almost  tempted  to  regret  we  had  not  pushed  boldly  on,  in  con- 

7   j       formity  with  our  first  intention,  we  heard  the  shrill  cries  of  a  wonian ;  and 

long  afterwards,  the  sounds  of  >  aman  feet  rushing  down  the  slope.    "Vv  hat 

our  sensations  were,  you  may  imagine;  for  we  all  believed  it  to  be  either 

Glara  or  Madeline  ae  Haldimar  fleeing  alone,  and  pursued  by  our  ferocious 

enemies.    To  show  ourselves  would,  we  were  sensible,  be  to  ensure  the  deatk 

of  the  pursued,  before  we  could  posably  come  up ;  and  although  it%as  witL 

difficulty  we  repressed  the  desire  to  rush  forwam  to  the  rescue,  our  better 

judgment  prevuled.    Finally  we  saw  you  approach,  followed  closely  by  what 

appeared  to  be  a  mere  boy  of  an  Indian,  and  at  a*  considerable  distance,  I^t 

,  ^  ,    the  tall  warrior  of  the  Fleur  de  Lis.    We  imagined  there  was  time  enough 

.^    for  you  to  gain  the  bridge ;  and  finding  your  more  formidable  pursuer  was 

■        only  accompanied  by  the  youth  already  wuded  to,  conceived  at  that  moment 

the  design  of  making  him  our  prisoner.    Still  there  were  half  a  dozen  mus* 

j^ts  ready  to  be  levdled  on  him  should  he  approach  too  near  to  his  fugitives^ 

,  or  mAnifest  any  other  design  than  that  of  amply  re-capturing  them.    How 

f      well  our  plan  succeeded  you  are  aware ;  but.  alas  1"  and  he  glanced  sorrow- 

'  folly  at  the  corpse,  "  why  was  our  success  to  oe  embittered  by  so  great  a  sao> 

rificel" 

"  Ah,  would  to  he&Tcn  that  he  at  least  had  been  spared,"  sighed  Sir  Eve- 
rard, as  he  took  the  wan  white  hand  of  of  his  friend  in  his  own :  "  and  yet  I 
'  know  not ;  he  looks  so  calm,  so  happy  in  death,  it  is  almost  selfish  to  reraM 

he  has  escaped  the  horrors  tnat  still  await  us  in  this  dreadful  warfare.  But 
what  of  Frederick  and  Madeline  de  Haldimar  ?  From  the  statement  you  have 
given,  they  must  have  been  liberated  by  the  young  Ottawa  before  he  came  to 
me  J  yet,  what  could  have  induced  them  to  have  taken  a  course  of  fiightiM 
.      opposite  to  that,  which  promised  their  onljr  chance  of  safety  ?" 

"Heaven  only  knows."  returned  Captain  Blessington.    ''  I  fear  they  \an% 
•gain  been  roK»iptured  oy  the  safages;  in  which  case  their  doom  is  scaredj 

14  N 


>'ii 


fllO 


WAOOVSTA;     or.    TBB    PtOPBBOT. 


doubilul :  unless,  indeed,  our  prisoner  6t  last  night  be  given  up  in  exchange 
for  them." 

"  Then  Will  their  liberty  be  purchased  at  a  terrible  price,"  remarked  the 
baronet.  '*  Will  you  belieye.  Blessington,  that  that  man,  whose  enmity  to 
our  colonel  seems  almost  devilish,  was  once  an  ofScer  in  this  very  regiment  V^ 

"  You  astonish  mo,  -Yalletort.  Impossible !  and  yet  it  has  always  been  ap* 
parent  to  me  they  were  once  associates." 

"  I  heard  him  relate  his  history  only  last  ni^ht  to  Clara,  whom  he  had  the 
audacity  to  sully  with  proposals  to  become  his  bride,"  pursued  the  baronet. 
**  His  tale  was  a  most  extraordinary  one.  He  narrated  it,  however,  only  up  to 
the  period  when  the  life  of  De  Haldimar  was  attempted  by  him  at  Quebec. 
But  with  his  subsequent  history  we  are  all  well  acquainted,  through  the  fame 
of  his  bloody  atrocities  in  all  the  posts  that  have  fulen  irto  the  hands  of  Ppn- 
teac.  That  man,  savage  and  even  fiendish  as  he  now  is,  was  once  possessed 
of  the  noblest  qualities.  lam  sorry  to  say  it,  but  Colonel  de  Haldimar  has 
brought  this  present  affliction  upon  himself.  At  some  future  period  I  will 
tell  you  all." 

"  Alas !"  said  Captain  Blessington,  "  poor  Charles,  then,  has  been  made  to 
pay  the  penalty  of  his  father's  errors ;  and,  certainly,  the  greatest  of  these 
was  his  dooming  the  unfortunate  Halloway  to  death  m  the  manner  he  did." 

"  What  think  you  of  the  fact  of  Hallowny  being  the  nephew  of  this  ez« 
'  traordjpanr  man,  and  both  of  high,  family  ?"  demanded  Sir  Eve^rd. 

"  Indeed !  and  was  the  latter,  then,  aware  of  the  connection  ?" 

*'  Not  until-  last  night,"  replied  Sir  Everard.  '<  Some  observations  made  by 
the  wretched  \rife  of  Halloway,  in  the  course  of  which  she  named  his  true 
name,  (which  was  that  of  the  warrior  also,)  first  indicated  the  fact  to  the 
latter.  But  what  became  of  that  unfortunate  creature? — was  she  brought 
in?" 

"I  understand  not,"  said  Captain  Blessington.  "In  the  confusion  and 
hurry  of  securing  our  prisoner,  and  the  apprehension  of  immediate  attack 
from  his  warriors,  Ellen  was  entirely  overlooked.  Some  of  my  men  say 
thiey  left  her  lying,  insenslible,  on  the  spot  whence  they  had  raised  the  body 
of  our  unfortunate  fiiend^  which  they  had  some  difficulty  in  releasing  from  her 
convulsi^  embrace.  But,  hark !  there  is  the  first  drum  for  parade,  and  I 
have  not  yet  exchanged  my  Indian  garb." 

Captain  Blessington  now  quitted  the  room,  and  Sir  Everard,  relieved  from 
the  restraining  presence  of  his  companions,  gave  firee  vent  to  his  emotion, 
throwing  himself  upon  the  body  of  nis  friend,  and  giving  utterance  to  the 
feelings  of  anguish  that  oppressed  his  heart. 

He  had  continued  some  minutes  in  this  position,  when  he  fancied  he -felt  the 
warm  tears  of  a  human  being  bedewing  a  hand  that  reposed  on  the  neck  of 
his  unfortunate  friend.  He  looked  up,  and  to  his  infinite  surprise,  beheld 
Clara  de  Haldimar  standing  bef<^  him  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  b^.  Her 
likeness  to  her  brother,  at  that  moment,  was  so  striking,  that  for  a  second  or 
two,  the  irrepressible  thought  passed  through  the  mind  of  the  officer,  it  was 
not  a  hving  being  he  gazed  upon,  but  the  immaterial  spirit  of  his  friend.  The 
whole  attitude  and  appearance  of  the  wretched  girl,  independently  of  the  fact 
of  ber  noiseless  entrance,  tended  to  favor  the  delusion.  Her  features,  of  an 
ashy  paleness,  seemed  fixed,  even  as  those  of  -the  corpse  beneath  him ;  and 
but  for  the  tears  that  coursed  silently  down  her  cheek,  there  was  scarcely  an 
outward  evidence  of  emotion. 

"  You  are  surprised  to  see  me  here,  minting  my  ^ef  with  yours,  Sir  Eve- 
rard," she  at  length  observed,  with  the  same  calm  mien,  and  in  tones  of  touch- 
fog  sweetness.  "  I  oame  Jxere  with  my  father's  permission,  to  take  a  last  fare- 
wdl  of  him  whose  death  has  broken  my  heart.  I  expected  to  be  alone  j  but — 
My,  do  not  go,"  she  added,  perceiving  that  the  officer  was  about  to  depart. 
"  Had  you  nqt  been  here,  I  should  have  s6nt  for  you  j  for  we  have  both  a 
sacred  duty  to  perform.    May  I  ask  your  hand  V* 


wacoubta;    or,  the   fropueoy 


211 


6 


Dismayed  at  her  collected  manner,  the  young  officer  gazed  at  her  with  the 
deepest  sorrow  depicted  in  ever^  Une  of  his  own  countenance.  lie  extended 
his  naud,  aud  Tiara  to  his  surprise,  grasped  and  pressed  it  f\(mly. 

"it  was  the  wish  of  tliis  poor  boy  that  his  Clara  should  be  the  wife  of  his 
friend,  Sii  Evcrard.    Did  he  ever  express  such  to  you  1" 

"  It  was  the  fondest  desire  of  his  heart,"  returned  the  baronet,  unable  to  re- 
strain the  emotion  of  joy  tb%t  mmgled  despite  of  himself,  with  his  worst  ap- 
prehensions. \  . 

"  I  need  not  ask  how  you  received  his  proposal,"  continued  Clara,  with  the 
same  calmness  of  manner.  "  Last  night,"  she  pursued  solemnly,  "  I  was  the 
bride  of  the  murderer  of  my  brother,  of  the  lover  of  my  mother, — to-morrow 
night  I  may  be  the  bride  of  death ;  but  to-night  I  am  the  bride  of  my  brother's 
^friend.  Yes,  here  I  am  come  to  pledge  myself  to  the  fulfilment  of  his  wish. 
'If  you  deem  a  heart-broken  g^l  not  unvjrorthy  of  you^  I  am  your  wife,  Sir 
Everard ;  and,  recollect,  it  is  a  solemn  pledge,  that  which  a  sister  gives  ovdr 
the  Ufeless  body  of  her  brother^  beloved  as  this  has  been." 

"  Oh,  Clara---deaftst  Clara,"  pas^onately  exclaimed  the  excited  young  maa 
"  if  a  hfe  devoted  to  your  happiness  can  repay  you  for  this,  count  upon  it  as 
you  would  upon  your  eternal  salvation.  In  you  will  I  love  both  my  friend 
and  the  sister  he  has  bequeathed  to  me.  Clara,  my  betrothed  wife,  summon 
all  the  energies  of  your  natvire  to  sustain  this  cruel  shock ;  and  exert  yourself 
for  him  who  will  l>e  to  you  both  a  brother  and  a  husband.'* 

As  he  spoke  he  drew  the.  unresisting  girl  towards  him,  and,  locking  her  in ' 
his  embrace,  pressed,  for  the  first  time,  the  lips,  which  it  had  maddened  him 
the  preoeeding  night  to  see  polluted  by  the  forcible  kisses  of  Wacousta.    But 
.    Olara  shared  not,  but  merely  suffered  his  momentary  happiness.    Her  cheek 
wore  not  the  crimson  of  excitement,  neither  were  her  tears  discontinued.  She 
.    seemed  as  one  who  mechanically  submitted  to  what  she  had  no  power  of  re- 
sistance to  oppose  i  and  even  in  the  embrace  of  her  affianced  husband,  she  ejt- 
hibited  the  same  death-like  calm  that  had  startled  him  at  her  first  appearance. 
'    Belifion  could  not  hallow  a  purer  feeling  than  that  which  had  impelled  the 
'     action  of  the  young  officer.    The  very  oonsdoosness  of  the  sacred  pledge  haV' 
■ing  been  exchanged  over  the  oorpse  of  his  friend,  imparted  a  holiness  of  fervor 
to  his  mind ;  and  even  while  he  pressed  her,  whom  he  secretly  swore  to  love 
^-   with  all  the  affectioaof  a  fond  brother  and  a  husband  united^  he  felt  that  if 
the  spirit  of  him,  who  slept  unconscious  of  the  scene,  were  suffered  to  linger 
near,  it  would  be  to  hallow  it  with  approvaL  «  ' 

;         "  And  now,"  said  Clara  at  length,  yet  without  attempting  to  disengage  her- 
^     self, — "  now  that  we  are  united,  I  would  be  alone  with  my  brother.  My  hu»- 
band,  leave  me." 

.  Deeply  touched  at  the  name  of  husband,  Sir  Everard  could  not  refrain  from 
imprinting  another  kiss  on  the  h^  that  uttered  it.  He  then  gently  disengaged 
himself  from  his  lovely  but  suffering  charge,  whom  he  deposited  with  her  head 
resting  on  the  bed ;  and  making  a  significant  motion  of  his  hand  to  the  woman, 
who.  as  well  as  old  Morrison,  had  been  spectators  of  the  whole  scone,  stole 
j^ently  from  the  apartment^  under  what  emotions  of  joy  and  grief  it  would  be 
'  Icult  to  describia. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

^  ■ «  ..  ' 

^'  It  was  the  eighth  hour  of  morning,  and  both  officers  and  men,  quilting  their 
ill-relished  meal,  were  to  be  seen  issuing  to  the  parade,  where  the  monotonous 
roll  tKf  the  asaemblie  now  summoned  them.  Presently  the  garrison  was  formed. 

E resenting  three  equal  sides  of  a  square.    The  vacant  space  fronted  the  guard 
ouse,  nea»  one  extremity  of  which  was  to  be  seen  a  flight  of  steps  commtmi- 
eating  with  the'rampart,  where  the  flag^staff  was  erect^    Severn  men  ^ere 


812 


WA00V8TA;  OR,  THK  PROPHBCT. 


cmplojed  at  this  staff,  passing  strong  ropes  through  iron  pulleys  that  ww* 
suspended  from  the  extreme  top,  tirhjle  in  the  basement  of  the  staff  itself,  to  a 
hei^ght  of  aboiit  twenty  feet,  were  stuck  at  intervals  strong  wooden  pegs,  serv- 
ing as  steps  to  the  artillerymen  for  greater  facility  in  clearing  when  foul,  the 
lines  to  which  the  colors  were  attached.  The  latter  had  been  removed ;  and, 
from  the  substitution  of  a  cord  considerably  stronger  than  that  which  usually 
appeared  there,  it  seemed  as  if  some  far  heavier  weight  was  about  to  be  ap- 
pended to  it.  Gradually  the  men,  having  completed  their  usual  preparations, 
quitted  the  rampart,  and  the  flag-staff  which  was  of  tapering  pine,  was  left 
totally  unguarded. 

"The  "  Attention  1"  of  Major  Blackwater  to  the  troops,  who  had  been  hitherto 
standing  in  attitudes  of  expectancy  that  rendered  the  injunction  almost  super- 
fluous, announced  the  approach  of  the  governor.  Soon  afterwards  that  office 
entered  the  area,  wearing  his  characteristic  dignity  of  mantaer.  yet  exhibiting 
•very  evidence  of  one  who  had  suffered  deeply.  Preparation  for  a  drum-head 
oourt-martial.  as  in  the  case  of  Halloway,  had  already  been  made  within  the 
square,  and  tne  only  actor  vranting  in  the  drama  was  he  who  was  to  be  tried. 

Once  Colonel  de  Haldimar  made  an  effort  to  command*  his  appearance,  (but 
the  huskiness  of  his  voice  choked  his  utterance^  and  he  was  compelled  to  pause. 
After  the  lapse  of  a  few  moments,  he  again  ordered,  but  in  a  voice  that  was 
remarked  to  falter, — 

"  Mr.  Lawson,  let  the  prisoner  be  brought  forth."  * 

The  feeling  of  suspense  that  ensued  between  the  delivery  and  execution  of 
this  command  was  painful  throughout  the  ranks.  All  wera  penetrated  with 
euriosity  to  behold  a  man  vrho  bad  several  times  appeared  to  them  under  the 
nuMBt  appalling  circumstances,  and  against  whom  the'Strongest  feeling  of  indie- 
aation  had  been  excited  for  his  barbarous  murder  of  Charles  de  Haldimar.  It 
was  with  mingled  awe  and  anger  they  now  awaited  his  approach.  At  length 
the  captive  was  seen  advancing  from  the  cell  in  which  he  had  been  confiidKd, 
his  gigantic  form  tovrering  fkr  ahoxe  those  of  the  guard  of  grenadiers  by  whom 
he  was  surrounded;  and  with  a  haughtiness  in  his  air,  and  insoknce  in  his 
manlier,  that  told  he  came  to  confront  his  enemy  with  a  spirit  unsubdura  by 
the  &te  that  too  probably  awtuted  him. 

Many  an  eye  was  turned  upon  the  governor  at  that  moment.  He  was  eri- 
dently  struggling  for  composure  to  meet  the  scene  he  felt  it  to  be  imposable 
to  avoid ;  and  he  turned  pale  and  paler  as  his  enemy  drew  near. 

At  length  the  prisoner  stood  nearly  on  the  same  spot  where  his  unfortunate 
Qpphew  md  lingered  on  a  formetr  occasion.  He* was  unchained ;  but  his  hands 
were  firmly  secured  behind  his  back.  He  threw  himself  into  an  attitude  of 
osrelessness,  resting  on  one  foot,  and  tapping  the  earth  with  the  other ;  rivet- 
^g  his  eye,  at  the  same  time,  with  an  expression  of  the  most  daring  insolenc^ 
on  the  governor,  while  his  swarthy  cheek  was  moreover  lighted  up  with  a 
smile  of  the  deepest  scorn.  * 

*^  You  are  Reginald  Morton  the  outlaw,  I  believe,"  at  length  observed  the 
governor  in  an  uncertain  tone,  that,  however,  acquired  greater  firmness  as  he 

Eroceeded, — "  one  whose  life  nas  already  been  forfeited  through  his  treason»« 
le  practices  in  Europe,  and  who  has,  moreover,  incurred  the  pcnaltv  of  an 
ignominiou»  death,  by  acting  as  a  spy  of  the  enemies  of  England.  What  say 
you,  Reginald  Morton,  that  you  should  not  be  convicted  m  the  death  that 
ikwaits  the  traitor  V* 

"Ha!  ha!  by  heaven,  such  cold,  pompous  insolence  amuses  me,"  vocifbrated 
Wacousta.  "  It  reminds  me  of  Ensign  de  Haldimar  of  nearly  five  and  twentr 
years  back^  who  was  then  as  cunning  a  dissembler  as  he  is  now."  Suddenly 
changing  his  ribald  tone  to  oHe  of  scorn  and  rage : — "  You  believe  me,  you  say, 
to  be  I&sinald  Morton,  the  outlaw.  Well  do  you  know  it«  -I  am  that  Sir 
Reginald  Morton,  who  became  an  outlaw,  not  through  his  own  crimes,  but 
through  your  villany.  Ay,  frown  as  yon  may,  I  heed  it  not.  You  may  award 
me  d^kt^  bvt  sball  att  cuin  my  tongue.    To  your  whole  regimeift  do  I  pro* 


f& 


Ipro- 


wacuvsta;    or,  tbe   prophecy.  313 

dum  you  for  a  lalse,  remorseless  villain."  Then  turning  his  flashing  eye  a^ong 
tiie  ranks : — "  I  was  once  an  officer  in  this  corps,  and  long  before  any  of  you 
wore  the  accursed  uniform.  That  man,'  that  fiend,  affected  to  be  my  friend ; 
and  under  the  guise  of  friendship,  stole  into  the  heart  I  loved  better  than  my 
own  life.  Yes,"  fervently  pursued  the  excited  prisoner,  stamping  violently 
with  his  foot  upon  the  earth,  "he  robbed  me  of  my  affianced  wife;  and  for 
that  I  resented  an  outrage  that  should  have  banished  him  to  some  lone  region, 
where  he  migl^t  never  again  pollute  human  nature  with  his  presence — he 
caused  me  to  be  tried  by  a  covu't-martial,  and  dismissed  the  service.  Then, 
indeed,  I  became  the  outlaw  he  ^as  described^  but  not  until  then.  Now, 
Colonel  de  Haldimar,  that  I  have  proclaimed  your  infamy,  poor  and  inefficient 
as  the  triumph  be,  do  your  worst — I  ask  no  mercy.  Yesterday  I  thought 
that  years  of  toilsome  pursuit  of  the  means  of  vengeance  were  about  to  be 
crowned  with  success ;  but  fate  has  turned  the  tables  on  me,  and  I  yield." 

To  all  but  the  baronet  and  Captain  Blessingtou  this  declaration  was  pro* 
ductive  of  the  utmost  surprise.  Ev?ery  eye  was  turned  upon  the  colonel.  He 
grew  impatient  under  the  scrutiny,  and  demanded  if  the  court,  who  mean- 
while had  been  deliberating,  satisfied  o^  the  guilt  of  the  prisoner,  had  come  to  a 
decision  in  regard  to  his  punishment.  An  affirmative  answer  was  given,  and 
Colonel  de  Haldimar  proceeded. 

"  Reginald  Morton,  with  the  pr'vate  misfortuneaof  your  former  life  we  have 
nothing  to  do.  It  is  the  decision  of  this  court,  who  are  merely  met  ouc  of 
form,  tnat  you  suffisr  immediate  death  by  hanging,  as  a  just  recompense  for 
your  double  treason  to  your  country.  There,"  and  he  pointed  to  the  fiag- 
ataff!  "  will  you  be  exhibited  to  the  misguided  people  whom  your  wicked 
artinces  have  stirred  up  into  hostility  against  us.  When  they  behold  your 
fate,  they  will  take  warning  from  your  example ;  and,  finding  we  have  heads 
and  arms  not  to  suffer  offence  with  impunity,  be  more  readily  brought  to 
obedience." 

^  I  underistand  your  allusion,"  coolly  rejoined  Wacousta,  glancing  earnestly 
at,  and  apparently  measuring  with  his  eye,  the  dimensions  of  the  conspicuous 
scaffold  on  which  he  was  to  suffer.  "  You  had  ever  a  calculating  head.  De 
Haldimar,  where  any  sedret  villany,  anything  to  promote  your  own  selfish 
ends,  was  to  be  gained  by  it }  but  your  calculation  seems  now,  methiuks,  at 
fault." 

Colonel  Do  Haldimar  looked  at  him  enquiringly. 

*'  You  have  atiU  a  son  left,"  pursued  the  prisoner  with  the  same  recklessness 
of  manner,  and  in  a  tone  denoting  allusion  to  him  who  was  no  more,  that 
caused  an  universal  shudder  thi'Oughout  the  ranks.  "  He  is  in  the  hands  of 
the  Ottawa  Indians,  and  I  am  the  friend  of  their  great  chief,  inferior  only  in 
power  among  the  tribe  to  himself.  Think  you  that  he  will  see  mo  hanged  up 
uke  a  dog,  and  fail  to  avenge  my  disgraceful  death  ?" 

"  Ha !  presumptuous  renegade,  is  this  the  deep  game  you  have  in  view  1 
Bone  you  then  to  stipulate  for  tlie  preservation  of  a  life  every  way  forfeiteii 
to  the  offended  justice  of  your  country  ?  Dare  you  to  cherish  the  belief,  thai 
after  the  horriMo  threats  so  oflcn  denounced  by.  you,  yoft  will  again  bo  let 
loose  upon  a  career  of  crime  and  blood  1"  * 

"None  of  your  cant,  De  Haldimar,  as  I  oi\ce  observed  to  you  before," 
coolly  retorted  Wacousta,  with  bitter  sarcasm.  "  Consult  your  own  heart, 
and  ask  if  its  catalogue  of  crime  bo  not  fur  greater  than  my  own :  yet  I  ask 
not  my  life.  I  would  but  have  the  manner  of  my  fate  altered,  and  fkia 
would  die  the  death  of  the  soldier  I  ^caa  before  you  rendered  mo  the  wretch 
I  am.  Methinks  the  boon  is  not  so  great,  if  the  restoration  of  your  son  be  the 
price," 

"  Do  you  mean,  then,"  eagerly  returned  the  governor,  "  that  if  the  more 
mode  of  vour  dcatn  be  changed,  my  son  shall  be  restored  ?" 

"  I  do,"  was  the  calm  reply. 

"  What  pledge  have  we  of  Ihe  fact  1  What  faith  can  wo  repose  hi  the  word 


1 
I 

t 


fl4 


WA00V8TA;  OR,  THE  PROPHECY. 


of  a  fiend,  whose,  brutal  vengeance  has  already  sacrificed  the  gentlest  life  that 
ever  animated  human  clay?"  Here  the  emotion  of  the  governor  almost 
choked  his  utterance,  and  considerable  agitation  and  murmuring  were  mani- 
fested in  the  ranks. 

"  Gentle,  said  you  ?"  replied  the  prisoner,  musingly  j  "  then  did  he  resem- 
»  ble  his  mother,  whom  I  loved,  even  as  his  brother  resembles  you,  whom  I 
have  so  much  reason  to  hate.  Had  I  known  the  boy  to  be  what  you  describe, 
I  might  have  felt  some  touch  of  pHy  even  while  I  delayed  not  to  strike  hifl 
death  blow :  but  the  false  moonlight  deceived  me,  and  the  detested  name  of 
.  De  Haldimar,  pronounced  by  the  lips  of  my  nephew's  wife — that  wife  whom 
your  cold-blooded  severity  had  widowed  and  driven  mad — was  in  itself  suffl- 
dent  to  ensure  his  doom." 

" Inhuman  ruffian  !"  exclaimed  the  governor,  with  increasing  indignation: 
"  to  the  point.  What  pled^  have  you  to  offer  that  my  son  will  be  restored  f* 

"  Nay,  the  pledge  is  easily  given,  and  without  much  risk.  You  have  only 
to  defer  my  death  until  your  messenger  return  from  his  interview  with  Pon- 
teac.  If  Captain  de  Haldimar  accompany  him  back,  shoot  me  as  I  have  re- 
quested ;  if  he  come  not,  then  it  is  but  to  hang  me,  alter  all." 

"  Ha !  I  understand  you ;  this  is  but  a  pretext  to  gain  time,  a  device  to  en- 
able vour  subtle  brain  to  plan  some  mode  of  escape." 

"  As  you  will.  Colonel  de  Haldimar,"  calmly  retorted  Wacousta ;  and  again 
he  sank  into  silence,  with  t^e  air  of  one  utterly  indifferent  to  results. 

"  Do  you  mean,"  resumeathe  colonel,  "  tljat  a  request  from  yourself  to  the 
Ottawa  chief  will  obtain  the  liberation  of  my  son  ?" 

*  Unless  the  Indian  be  false  as  yourself,  I  do." 

"  And  of  the  lady  who  is  with  him  ?"  continued  the  colonel,  coloring  with 
•nger.  • 

Sofboth.^ 

"  How  is  the  message  to  be  conveyed  V*  * 

"  Ha,  sir !"  returned  the  prisoner,  drawing  himself  up  to  his  fiill  height^ 
"  now  are  you  arrived  at  a  point  that  is  pertinent.  -My  wampum  belt  will  be 
the  passport,  and  the  safeguard  of  him  you  send ;  then  for  the  communica- 
tion. Tner?  are  certain  figures,  as  you  are  aware,,  that,  traced  on  bark,  an- 
swer the  same  purpose  among  the  llidians  with  the  European  language  of 
letters.  Let  my  hands  be  cut  loose,"  ho  pursued,  but  in  a  tone  m  which 
a^tation  and  excitement  might  be  detected,  "  and  if  bark  be  brought  me,  and 
a  burnt  *stick  or  coal,  I  will  give  you  not  only  a  sample  of  Indian  ingenuity, 
bx:t  a  specimen  of  my  own  progress  in  Indian  acquirements." 

"  What,  free  your  hands,  and  thus  afford  you  a  chance  of  escape  ?"  observed 
thogovernor,  doubtingly. 

Wacousta  bent  his  steadfast  gaze  on  him  for  a  few  moments  as  if  ho  ques- 
tioned ho  had  heard  aright.  Then  bursting  into  a  wild  and  scornful  laugh,— 
**  By  heaven !"  he  exclaimed,  "  this  is,  indeed,  a  high  compliment  you  pay  me 
tt  the  expense  of  these  fine  fellows.  What,  Colonel  de  Haldimar  afraid  to 
liberate  nn  unarmed  prisoner,  hemmed  in  by  a  forest  of  bayonets?  This  is 
eood  ;  gentlemen,", and  he  bent  himself  in  sarcastic  reverence  to  the  astonished 
noops,  "  I  beg  to  offer  my  vnry  best  congratulations  on  the  high  estimation. 
hi  which  you  are  heW  by  your  colonel."  '■• 

"  Peace,  sirrah !"  exclaimed  the  governor,  enraged  bevond  measure  at  the 


insolence  of  him 
heaven,  I  will  have 


who  (bus  held  him  up  to  contempt  before  his  men,  "  or,  by 
ve  your  tongue  cut  out ! — Mr.  Lawson,  let  what  this  fellow 
requires  be  procured  immediately."  Then  addressing  Lieutenant  Boyce,  who 
commanded  the  immediate  guard  over  the  prisoner, — "  Let  his  hands  be  lib- 
erated, sir.  and  enjoin  your  men  to  bo  watchful  of  the  movements  of  this 
■apple  traitor.  IIis  activity  I  know  of  old  to  be  great,  and  he  seems  to  have 
doQolcd  it  since  he  assumed  that  garb." 

The  command  was  executed,  and  the  prisoner  stood,  once  more  free  and 
unfettered  in  every  muscular  limb.    A  deep  and  unbidken  silence  ensued, 


vaoovita;  or,  the  propheot. 


215 


and  the  return  of  the  adjutant  was  momentarily  expected.  Suddenly  a 
loud  scream  was  heard,  and  the  slight  figure  of  a  female,  clad  in  white,  came 
rushing  from  the  piazza  in  which  the  apartment  of  the  deceased  De  Haldimar 
was  situated.  It  was  Clara.  The  guard  of  Wacousta  formed  the  fourtb  front 
of  the  square ;  hut  they  were  drawn  up  somewhat  in  the  distance,  so  as  to 
leave  an  open  space  of  several  feet  at  the  angles.  Through  one  of  these  the 
excited  girl  now  passe|i  into  the  area,  with  a  mldness  in  her  air  and  appearance 
that  riveted  every  ey6  in  painfhl  interest  upon  her.  She  paused  not  imtil  she 
had  gained  the  side  of  the  captive,  at  whose  feet  she  now  sank  in  an  attitude 
expressive  of  the  most  profound  despair. 

"  Tiger  I — monster !"  she  raved,  "  restore  my  brother ! — give  me  hack  the 
eentle  life  you  have  taken,  or  destroy  my  own  I  See,  I  am  a  weak  defence- 
lesa  girl:  can  you  not  strike? — ^you  have  no  pity  for  the  innocent.  But 
oome,"  she  pursued  mournfully,  regaining  her  feet  and  grasping  his  iron  hand, 
— "  come  ahd  see  the  sweet  calm  face  of  him  you  have  slain : — come  with  me, 
and  behold  the  image  of  Clara  Beverley  |  and,  if  you  ever  loved  her  as  yoa 
say  you  did,  let  your  soul  be  touched  with  remorse  for  yoiur  crime." 

The  excitement  and  confusion  produced  by  this  unexpected  interruption 
was  great.  Murmurs  of  compassion  for  the  unhappy  Clara,  and  of  indigna- 
tiffd  against  the  prisoner,  were  no  longer  sought  to  be  repressed  by  the  men| 
while  the  officers,  quitting  their  places  in  the  ranks,  grouped  themselves  indis- 
criminately in  the  fore-ground.  One,  more  impatient  than  his  companioiUL 
2 rang  forward,  and  forcibly  drew  away  the  delicate  hand  that  still  grasped 
at  of  the  captive.    It  was  Sir  Everard  Valletort.  ' 

"  Clara,  my  beloved  wife  i"  he  exclaimed,  to  the  astonishment  of  all  who 
heard  him,  "pollute  not  yo\ir  lips  by  further  communion  with  such  a  wretdi} 
his  heart  is  as  inaccessible  to  pity  as  the  rugged  ^ks  on  \^hich  his  spring-life 
was  passed.  For  Heaven's  sake, — for  my  sake, — linger  not  within  his  reach. 
There  is  death  in  his  very  presence." 

"  Your  wife,  sir  1"  haughtily  observed  the  governor,  with  irrepressible  as- 
tofaishment  and  indignation  in  his  voice ;  "  what  mean  you  ? — Gentlemen,  re* 
sume  your  places  in  ^he  ranks.  Clara — Miss  de  Haldimar,  I  command  you  to 
retire  instantly  i^  your  apartment.  We  will  discourse  of  this  later,  Sir  Eve* 
rtrd  Valletort.    I  trust  you  have  not  dared  to  offer  an  indignity  to  my  (^ild.** 

While  he  was  yet  turned  to  that  officer,  who  had  taken  his  post,  as  com* 
manded,  in  the  inner  angle  of  the  square,  and  with  a  countenance  that  denoted 
the  conflicting  emotions  of  his  soul,  he  was  suddenly  startled  by  the  confused 
shout  and  rushing  forward  of  the  whole  body,  both  of  officers  and  men.  Be- 
fore he  had  time  to  turn,  a  loud  and  well-remembered  yell  burst  upon  his 
ear.  The  next  moment,  to  his  infinite  surprise  and  horror,  he  beheld  the 
bold  warrior  rapidly  ascending  the  very  staff  that  had  been  destined  for  hia 
aoaffold,  and  with  Clara  in  his  arms  I 

Great  was  the  confusion  that  ensued.  To  rush  forward  and  surround  the 
flag-staff,  was  the  imrmediate  action  of  the  troops.  Many  of  the  men  raised 
their  muskets,  and  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  would  have  fived,  had 
they  not  been  restrained  by  their  officers,  who  pointed  out  the  certain  destruo- 
tion  it  would  entail  on  the  unfortunate  Clara.  With  the  rapidity  of  thought, 
Wacousta  had  snatched  up  his  victim,  while  the  attention  of  the  troops  wafl 
directed  to  the  singular  conversation  passing  between  the  governor  and  Sir 
Everard  Valletort,  and  darting  through  One  of  the  open  angles  already  al- 
luded to.  had  {]^ncd  the  rampart  before  they  had  recovered  from  the  stupor 
produced  by  his  daring  action.  Stepping  lightly  upon  the  pegs,  ho  had  ra* 
pidly  ascended  to  the  utmost  height  of  these,  before  any  one  thought  of  fol- 
towmg  him  ;  and  then  grasping  in  his  teeth  the  cord  which  was  to  have  served 
for  his  execution,  and  holding  Clara  firmly  against  his  Chest,  while  ho  em- 
braced the  smooth  staff  with  knees  and  feet  closely  compressed  aroimd  it  a<^ 
oomplished  the  difficult  ascent  with  an  ease  that  astonished  all  who  behold 
him.    Gradually,  as  ho  approached  the  top,  the  taptring  pine  vraved  to  and 


h\l 


«l<^ 


waooumta;  or,  trb  profhbot. 


fro ;  and  at  eaon  moment  it  was  eiq)ected,  that  yielding  to  their  united  weighty 
it  would  snap  asunder,  and  precipitate  both  Clara  and  himself  upon  the  ram- 
part or  jjit^  the  ditch  beyond. 

More  thaa  one  officer  now  attempted  to  follow  the  fVigitiye  in  his  adyentn- 
rous  course ;  but  even  Lieutenant  Johnstone,  the  most  active  and  experienced 
in  climbing-  of  the  party,  was  unable  to  rise  more  than  a  few  yards  above  the 
pe^  that  afforded  a  footing,  and  the  enterprise  was  abandoned  as  an.  impos- 
sibility. At  length  Wacousta  was  seen  to  gain  the  extreme  summit.  Foks 
moment  he  turned  his  gaze  anxiously  beyond  the  town,  in  the  direction  of  tho 
bridge ;  and,  after  pealing  forth  one  of  his  tenific  yells,  exclaimed,  exultin^y, 
•8  he  turned  his  eyes  upon  his  enemy : — 

"  Well,  colonel,  what  think  you  of  this  sample  of  Indian  ingenuity  ?  Did 
I  not  tell  you,"  he  continued,  in  mockery,  "that,  if  my  hands  were  but  fiee, 
I  would  give  you  a  specimen  of  my  progr^  in  Indian  acquirements  V* 

"If  you  would  avoid  a  death  even  more  terri|>le  than  that  of  hanging," 
■houted  the  governor,  in  a  voice  of  mingled  rage  and  terror, "  restore  mj 
daughter." 

"  Ha !  ha !  ha  i— excellent  1"  vociferated  the  savage.    "  You  threaten  largdy, 
my  good  governor ;  but  your  threats  are  harmless  as  those  of  a  weak  besi^ 
faig  army  before  an  impregnable  fortress.    It  is  for  the  stroi^est,  however,  to 
propose  his  terms.    If  I  restore  this  girl  to  life,  will  you  pledge  youzseli  to  • 
mine?" 

"  Never !"  thundered  Colonel  de  Haldimar,  with  unusual  energy.    "  Moi, 
procure  axes ;  cut  the  flag-staff  down,  since  this  is  the  only  means  l^H>f  se-      / 
curing  yon  insolent  traitor  I    Quick  to  your  work :  and  mark,  who  first  seizes 
him  shall  have  promotion  on  the  spot." 

Axes  were  instantly  procured,  and  two  of  the  men  now  lent  ttiemselTei 
vigorously  to  the  task.  Wacousta  seemed  to  watch  these  preparations  wiUi 
evident  anxiety ;  and  to  all  it  appeared  as  if  his  couraee  baa  bein  paralvaed 
by  this  unexpected  action.  No  sooner,  however,  had  the  axemen  reached  the 
heart  of  the  stafl^  than,  holding  Clara  forth  over  the  edge  of  the  rampart,  hi 
•houted, — 

"One  stroke  more,  and  she  perishes  I" 
'  Instantaneously  the  work  was  discontinued.  A  silence  of  a  few  moments  en- 
sued.   Every  eye  was  turned  upward,<--every  heart  beat  with  terror  to  see 
the  delicate  ghrfj  held  by  a  single  arm,  and  apparently  about  to  be  predpitsted 
from  that  dizzying  height;    Again  Wacousta  shouted,-—  ]    ' 

"Life  for  life,  De  Haldimar  t    K  I  yield  her  shall  I  live?" 

"  No  terms  mall  be  dictated  to  me  by  a  rebel,  in  the  heart  of  my  own  fSavi," 
returned  the  governor.    "  Restore  my  child,  and  wo  will  then  consider  whM      ' 
mercy  may  bcAextendeil  to  you." 

"  W  ell  do  I  know  what  mercy  dwells  in  suoh  a  heart  as  yours,"  gloomily 
remarked  the  prisoner ;  "  but  I  come." 

"Surround  the  staff,  men,"  ordered  the  governor,  in  a  low  tone.  "  The  in- 
stant he  descends,  secure  him :  lash  Mm  in  every  limb,  nor  suffer  even  his 
insolent  tongue  to  be  longer  at  liberty." 

"  Boyce,  for  God's  sake  open  the  gate,  and  place  men  in  readinelS  to  lower 
the  drawbridge,"  implored  Sir  Everard  of  the  officer  of  the  guard,  and  In  A       • 
tone  of  deep  emotion  that  was  not  meant  to  be  overheard  ,by  the  governor. 
"  I  foar  the  boldness  of  this  vengeftil  man-  may  lead  him  to  some  desperatt,, 
means  of  escape."  .   , 

While  the  officer  whom  he  addressed  issued  a  command,  the  responsibilitr 
of  which  he  fancied  he  might,  under  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  momen^ 
take  upon  himself.  Wacousta  began  his  descent,  not  as  before^  by  adhering  to     v 
the  staff  but  by  the  rope  which  he  held  in  his  left  hand,  whde  he  still  stf^ 
ported  the  apparently  senseless  Clara  against  his'right  breast  with  the  other. 

'  "  Now,  ColoQ^^  de  Haldunar,  I  hope  your  heart  it  at  rest,"  he  shouted,  as 

f 


waoovita;  oh,   thb  prophbot. 


%n 


5ht, 
nn. 

ltd* 
iced 
the 
po8- 
ora 
rtho 

^Ji 

Did 

ficee, 

ing," 
)  my 

fgdy, 


cr.to 
elf  to  • 

Men, 

of  S6" 

sozes 

iselTei 
8  with 
alvaed 
ledthe 
irt,lM 


fbrt," 
whi* 

imily 

lein* 

lower 
kd  ui  * 
aor. 
speratt* 

IsibiUtT 
lomeni, 
|ring  to 
silp- 

lotbor. 

kted,oi 


bo  rapidlT  glided  by  tho  cord  j  "  enjoy  your  triumph  as  best  may  suit  your 
•  pleasure." 

SSyery  eye  followed  his  morement  with  interest ;  every  heart  beat  lighter  at 
the  certainty  of  Clara  being  a^ain  restored,  and  without  other  injury  than 
the  terror  she  must  bare  experienced  in  such  a  scene.    Each  congratulated 
himself  on  the  favorable  termination  of  the  terrible  adventure,  yet  were  all 
leady  to  spring  upon  and  secure  the  desperate  author  of  the  wrong.    Wacousta 
h&d  now  reached  the  centre  of  the  nag-staff.    Pausing  for  a  moment,  he 
grappled  it  with  his  strong  and  nervous  feet  on  which  he  apparently  rested, 
to  give  a  momentary  relief  to  the  muscles  or  his  left  arm.    He  then  abruptly 
obandoned  his  hold,  swinging  himself  out  a  few  yards  from  the  staff,  and  re- 
taming  again,  dashed  his  feet  against  it  with  a  force  that  caused  the  weakened 
-   mass  to  vibrate  to  its  very  foundation.    Impelled  by  bis  weight,  and  the  vio- 
lence of  his  action,  the  creaking  pine  gave  way ;  its  lofty  top  gradually  bend- 
ing over  the  exterior  rampart  until  it  iSnally  snapped  asunder,  and  fell  with  a 
loud  crash  across  the  ditch.   ■  « 

'^  Open  the  gate,  down  with  the  drawbridge  I"  exclaimed  the  excited  gov- 
omor. 

"  Sbwn  with  the  drawbridge,*'  repeated  Sir  Everard  to  the  men  already 
stationed  there  ready  to  let  loose  at  the  first  order.  The  heavy  chains  rattled 
,•  sullenly  through  the  rusty  pulleys,  and  to  each  the  bridge  seemed  an  hour 
descending.  Before  it  had  readied  its  level,  it  was  covered  with  the  weight 
of  many  armed  men  rushing  confiisedly  to  the  firont ;  and  the  foremost  of 
^hese  leaped  to  the  earth  before  i^  liad  sunk  into  its  oustomary  bed.  Sir 
Everard  Valletort  and  Lieutenant  Johnstone  were  in  th(r  front,  both  armed 
irath  their  rifles,  which  had  been  brought  them  before  Wacousta  commenced 
his  descent.  Without  order  or  combination,  Erskine,  Blessington,  and  nearly 
half  of  their  respective  companies,  fc^owed  as  they  could ;  and  dispersing  as 
they  advanced,  sought  o^j  which  could  outstrip  ms  Mows  in  the  pursuit. 

Meanwhile  the  fugitive,  assisted  in  his  All  by  the  gradual  rending  asunder 
of  the  staff,  had  obeyed  the  impulsion  first  ^ven  to  his  active  form,  until, 
euddenly  cheddng  himself  by  the  rope,  he  dropped  with  his  feet  downward 
«  iirto  the  centre  of  the  ditch.  For  a  moment  he  disappeared,  then  came  again 
,  uninjured  to  the  sorfiice }  and  in  the  face  of  more  than  fifty  men,  who^  lining 
the  rampart  with  their  muskets  levellcid  to  take  hun  at  advantage  the  mstant 
ho  should  re  ppear,  seemed  to  laugh  theur  efforts  to  scorn.  Holding  Clara 
befor%him  as  a  shield,  through  which  the  bullets  of  his  enemies  must  pass 
before  they  could  attain  him,  he  impelled  his  gigantic  form  with  a  backward 
movement  toward  the  opposite  bank,  which  he  rapidly  ascended ;  and,  still 
fronting  his  enemies,  commenced  his  flight  in  that  manner  with  a  speed  which 
(considering  the  additional  weight  oT  the  drenched  garments  of  both)  was 
mconceivable.  The  course  taken  by  him  was  not  through  the  town,  but  cir- 
ouitously  across  the  common  until  he  arrived  on  that  immediate  line  whence, 
as  we  have  before  stated,  the  bridge  was  distinctly  visible  fh)m  tho  rsmpart ) 
on  which,  nearly  the  whole  of  the  remaining  troops,  in  defiance  of  the  pres- 
ence of  their  austere  chief,  were  now  eageriy  assembled,  watching,  with  un- 
speakable interest,  the  progress  of  the  chase. 

Desperate  as  were  the  exertions  of  Wacousta,  who  evidently  continued  this 
mode  of  flight  from  a  conviction  that  the  instant  his  person  was  left  exposed 
the  fire-arms  of  his  pursuers  would  be  brought  to  bear  upon  him,  the  two 
offloers  in  firont,  animated  by  the  most  extraordinary  exertions,  wero  rapidly 
gaining  upon  him.  Already  was  one  within  fifty  yards  of  him,  when  a  loud 
yell  was  hoard  firom  the  bndgo.  This  was  fiercely  answend  by  tho  fleeing 
man,  and  in  a  manner  that  implied  his  slad  sense  of  coming  resctxd.  In  the 
wild  exultation  of  tho  moment,  he  raised  Clara  high  above  his  head,  to  show 
her  in  triumph  to  the  governor,  whose  person  his  keen  eye  could  ewily  dis- 
tinffoish  among  those  crowded  upon  tife  rampart.  In  the  gratified  vongeanoo 
of  that  hour,  he  seemed  utterly  to  overlook  the  actions  of  those  who  wero  so 


h 


h\l 


i ' 


818 


waoousta;  or, thb  prophioy. 


near  him.  During  this  hrief  scene.  Sir  Eyerard  had  dropped  upon  one  knee^ 
and  supporting  his  elbow  on  the  otn^,  aimed  his  rifle  at  the  heut  of  the  rav- 
i^er  of  his  wHe.  An  exulting  shout  bujst  from  the  pursuing  troops.  Wfr- 
oousta  botmded  a  few  feet. in  air,  and  placing  his  hand  to  )Sa  side,  uttered 
another  yell,  mQre  appalling  than  any  that  had  hitherto  escaped  hun.  ^a 
flight  was  now  uncertain  and  wavering.  He  staggered  as  one  who  had  r^ 
ceived  a  mortal  wound ;  and  discontinuing  his  unequal  mode  of  retreat,  turned 
his  back  upon  his  pursuers,  and  threw  all  his  remaining  energies  into  ft  final 
effort  at  escape. 

Inspirited  by  the  success  of  his  shot,  and  expecting  momentarily  to  see 
him  fall  weakened  with  the  loss  of  blood,  the  excited  Valletort  redoubled  his 
exertions.  To  his  infinite  joy,  he  found  that  the  efforts  of  the  fugitive  became 
feebler  at  each  moment.  Johnstone  was  about  twenty  paces  beUnd  him,  and 
the  pursuing  party  at  about  the  same  distance  firom  Johnstone.  The  baronet 
had  now  reached  his  enemy,  and  already  was  the  butt  of  his  rifle  raised  with 
murderous  intent,  when  suadenly  Wacousta,  every  feature  distorted  with  ragk 
and  pain,  turned  like  a  wounded  lion  at  bay,  and  eluding  the  blow,  deposits 
the  unconscious  form  of  his  victim  upon  the  sward.  Springing  upon  his  in- 
finitely weaker  pursuer,  he  grappled  him  furiously  by  the  throat,  exdaixding 
through  his  clenched  teeth : — 

''  Nay  then,  since  you  will  provoke  your  &te— bc}  it  so.  Die  like  a  d0£^ 
and  be  d-r— d,  for  having  balked  me  of  my  just  revenge  1" 

As  ho  spoke,  he  hurled  the  grasping  officer  to  the  earth  with  a  violence  tlutt 
betrayed  the  dreadful  excitement  of  his^  toul,  ui,d  again  hastened  to  assnio 
himself  of  his  prize. 

Meanwhile,  Lieutenant  Johnstone  had  come  np^  and  seeing  his  companion 
struggling^  as  he  presumed  with  advantage,  with  his  severely  wounded  enemy 
made  it  his  first  care  to  securo  the  unhwpj'  p;irl ;  for  whose  recovery  the  pur* 
suit  had  been  principally  instituted.    Qmt^n^  his  rifle,  he  now  essayed  to 


raise  her  in  his  arms..   She  was  without  life  or  consciousness,  and  the  im-  , 
pression  on  his  mind  was  that  she  was  dead. 

While  in  the  act  of  raising  her,  the  terrible  Wacousta  stood  at  his  side,  hia 
vast  chest  heaving  forth  a  lau^h  of  mingled  rage  and  contempt.  Before  the 
officer  could  extricate,  with  a  view  of  defending  himself  his  arms  were  pidion- 
ed  as  though  in  a  vice ;  and  ere  he  could  recover  firom  his  surprise,  he  felt 
himself  lifted  up  and  thrown  to  a  oonaderable  distance.  When  he  opened  his 
eyes  a  moment  afterwards,  he  was  hringamid  the  moving  feet  of  his  owvmen* 

From  the  instant  of  the  closing  of  the  unfortunate  Valletort  with  his  enemy, 
the  Indians,  hastening  to  the  assistance  of  their  chief,  had  come  up,  and  a  de- 
sultory fire  had  alreaidy  commenced,  diverting,  in  a  great  degree,  the  attention 
of  the  troops  from  the  pursued.  Emboldeneid  by  this  new  aspect  of  things^ 
Wacousta  now  deliberately  grasped  the  rifle  thuat  had  been  abandoned  by 
Johnstone ;  and  raising  it  to  his  soulder,  fired  among  the  group  collected  on 
the  ramparts.  For  a  moment  he  watoied  the  resiSt  of  lus  shot,  and  then, 
pealing  forth  another  fierce  yell,  he  hurled  the  now  useless  weapon  into  tho 
very  heart  of  his  pursuers ;  ana  again  raising'Olara  in  his  arms,  once  mors 
commenced  his  retreat,  which,  under  cover  of  the  fire  "f  his  party,  was  eaaly 
effected. 

"  Who  has  fallen  ?"  demanded  the  governor  of  his  adjutant,  pierceiving  that 
some  one  had  been  hit  at  ^is  side,  yet  without  taking  ms  eyes  off  his  terribls 
enemy. 

"Mr.  Delme,  sir,"  was  the  reply.  "Be  has  been  shot  through  the  heart, 
and  his  men  are  bearing  him  from  the  rampart." 

"  This  must  not  be,"  resumed  the  governor  with  energy.    "  Private  feolmffa 
mnet  no  longer  be  studied  at  the  expense  of  the  public  g)od.    The  pursuitls 
hopeless ;  and  already  too  many  of  my  officers  have  fiulen.    Desire  the  re- . 
treat  to  be  sounded,  Mr.  Lawson.    Captain  Wentworth,  let  one  or  two 


waoovsta;  or,  the  prophecy. 


219 


'th 

ed 
fia 

re- 
led 
la] 

Bee 

hit 
m« 
md 
net 
itb   „ 

in- 
jng 

log^ 

that 
mm 

oion 
mj 
pur* 
ito 

hia 
the 
ion- 
felt 
hia 
len* 
my, 
de- 
ition 

"I? 

on 

len, 
the 
lore 
laly 

that 
rible 

cart, 

inga 
dtla 
re-. 


1 1 


/ 


Ing  guns  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  savages.    They  are  gradually  increas- 
ing in  numbers ;  and  if  we  delaj',  the  party  will  be  wnoUy  cut  off." 

In  issuing  these  orders,  Colonel  de  Haldimar  evinced  a  composedness  that 
astonished  all  who  heard  him.  But  although  his  voice  was  calm,  despair  was 
npon  his  brow.  Still  he  continued  to  gaze  fixedly -on  the  retreating  form  of 
his  eneiny,  until  he  finally  disappeared  behind  the  orchard  of  the  Canadian  of 
the  Fleur  de  Lis. 

Obepng  the  summons  from  the  fort,  the  troops  without  now  commenced 
tiieir  retreat,  bearing  off  the  bodies  of  their  fallen  oflBcers  and  several  of  their 
comrades  who  had  fallen  by  the  Indian  fire.  There  was  a  show  of  harassing 
them  on  their  return  j  but  they  were  too  near  the  fort  tb  apprehend  much 
danger.  Two  or  three  well-dir«;ted  discharges  of  artillery  effectually  checked 
the  onward  progress  of  the  savages  j  and,  in  the  course  of  a  minute,  they  had 
again  wholly  disappeared.  ; 

In  gloomy  silence,  and  mth  anger  and  disappointment  in  their  hearts,  the 
detachment  now  re-entered  the  fort.  Johnstone  was  only  severely  bruised; 
Sir  Everard  Valletort  not  dead.  Both  were  conveyed  to  the  same  room, 
where  they  were  instantly  attended  by  the  surgeon,  who  pronounced  the  situ- 
ation of  the  latter  hopeless.    ^ 

Major  Blackwater,  Captains  Bleasington  and  Erskine,  Lieutenants  Leslie 
and  Boyce,  and  Ensigns  Fortescue^and  Summers,  were  now  the  only  regi- 
mental ofScers  that  remained  of  thirteen  originally  comprising  the  strength  of 
tho  garrison.  The  whole  of  these  stood  grouped  around  their  colonel,  who 
aeemed  transfixed  to  the  spot  he  had  first  occupied  on  the  rampart,  with  his 
arms  folded,  and  his  gaze  bent  in  the  direction  in  which  he  had  lost  sight  of 
Wacousta  and  his  child. 

Hitherto  the  morning  had  been  cold  and  cheerless,  and  objects  in  the  fitf 
distance  were  but  indistinctly  seen  through  a  humid  atmosphere.^  At  about 
half  an  hour  before  mid-day  the  air  became  more  rarified,  and,  "the  murlqr 
douds'  gradually  disappearing,  left  the  blue  autumnal  sky  without  spot  or 
blemish.  Presently,  as  the  bells  of  the  fort  struck  twelve,  a  yell  of  a  legion 
of  devils  rent  the  air ;  and,  riveting  their  gaze  in  that  direction,  all  beheld  the 
bridge,  hitherto  deserted,  suddenly  covered  with  a  multitude  of  savages, 
among  whom  were  several  individuals  attired  in  the  European  garb,  and  evi- 
dently prisoners.  Each  officer  had  a  telescope  raised  to  his  eye,  and  each 
prepared  himself,  shudderingly,  for  some  horrid  consummation.  Presently 
the  bridge  was  cleared  of  all  but  a  double  line  of  what  appeared  to  be  womra, 
armed  with  war-clubs  and  tomahawks.  Along  the  line  were  now  seen  to 
pass,  in  slow  succession,  the  prisoners  that  had  previously  been  observed. 
At  each  step  they  took  (and  it  was  evident  they  had  been  compelled  to  run 
the  gauntlet,)  a  blow  was  inflicted  by  some  one  or  other  of  the  line,  until  the 
wretehed  Victims  were  successively  despatched.  A  loud  yell  from  the  war- 
riors, who,  although  hidden  from  view  by  the  intervening  orchards,  w\;re  evi- 
dently merely  spectators  in  the  bloody  drama,  announced  each  death.  These 
yells  were  repeated,  at  intervals^  to  about  the  number  of  thirty,  when,  sud- 
denly the  bridge  was  again  deserted  as  before. 

After  the  lapse  of  a  minute,  the  tall  figure  of  a  warrior  was  seen  to  ad- 
vance, holding  a  female  in  his  arms.  No  one  could  mistake,  even  at  that 
distance,  the  gigantic  proportions  of  Wacousta,  as  he  stood  in  ^c  extreme 
centre  of  the  bridge,  in  imposing  relief  against  the^ood  that  glittered  like  a 
sea  of  glass  beyond.  From  his  chest  there  now  burst  a  single  yell  j  butj  al- 
though audible,  it  was  famter  than  any  remembered  ever  to  Iiavo  been  heard 
from  him  by  the  garrison.  He  then*  advanced  to  the  extreme  edge  of  the 
bridge ;  and,  raising  the  form  of  the  female  far  above  his  head  with  his  left 
hand,  seemed  to  wave  her  in  vengeful  triumph.  A  second  warrior  was  seen 
upon  the  bridge,  and  stealing  cautiously  to  the  same  point.  The  right  hand 
Or  the  first  warrior  ♦as  now  raised  and  brandished  in  the  air ;  in  the  next  in- 
stant it  descended  upon  the  breast  of  the  female,  who  fell  from  his  arms  into 


'   i 


>  .4M~    ««.  I  r     £f 


.__.__        _      __    —     _  _i.  «  r 

820  V  A  Ob  vVt  A ; 


V!    \f   "^     ■  .    n    fi  '    :\  f,    A    'i:T 

OR,    THS     PROPHBOT. 


1 


the  ravine  beneath^  Yells  of  triumph  from  the  Indians,  and  shouts  of  ex<» 
ecration  from  the  soldiers,  mingled  faintly  together. ,  At  tiiat  moment  the 
arm  of  the  seudnd  warrior  was  raised,  and  a  blade  was  seen  to  glitter  in  the 
sunshine.  His  arm  descended,  and  Wacousta  was  observed  to  stagger  for- 
ward and  fall  heavily  into  the  abyss  into  which  his  victim  had  the  infitant 
before  been  precipitated.  Another  loud  yell,  but  of  disappointment  and  anger, 
was  heard  drowning  'that,  of  exultation  pealed  by  the^triumphant  wamor, 
who,  darting  to  the  open  extremity  of  the  bridge,  directed  his  flight  along  the 
margin  of  the  rive;*,  where  a  light  canoe  was  ready  to  receive  him.  Into  this 
he  sprang,  and,  seizing  the  paddle,  sent  the  waters  foaming  from  its  sides; 
and,  pursuing  nis  way  across  the  river,  had  nearly  g^iined  the  shores  of  Canada 
before  a  bark  was  to  be  seen  following  in  pursuit. 

How  felt — how  acted  Colonel  de  Haldimar  throughout  this  brief  but  terri- 
Ue  scene  ?  He  uttered  not  a  word.  With  his  arms  still  folded  across  his 
breast,  he  gazed  upon  the  murder  of  his  child ;  but  he  heaved  not  a  groan,  he 
shed  not  a  tear.  A  momentary  triumph  seemed  to  irradiate  his  pallid  features, 
when  he  saw  the  blow  struck  tl^t  annihilated  his  enemy ;  bv  it  was  ogaiii 
mstantly  shaded  by  an  expression  of  the  most  profound  despaii. 

"  It  is  done,  gentlemen,"  he  at  lengthy  remarked.  -"  The  tragedy  is  dosed, 
the  curse  of  £Ufen  Halloway  is  fulfilled,  and  I  am— childless ! — Blackwater,** 
he  pursued,  endeavoring  to  stifle  the  emotion  produced  by  the  last  reflection, 
''pay  every  attention  to  the  security  of  the  garrison,  seothat  the  dniwbrid|^ 
is  agdn  properly  chained  up,  and  direct  that  the  duties  or  the  troops  be  proae- 
cutid  in  every  way  as  heretofore." 

Leaving  his  officers  to  wonder  at  and  pity  that  apathy  of  mind  that  coidd 
iningle  the  mere  forms  of  duty  with  the  most  heart-rendering  associations, 
Oolonel  de  Haldimar  now  quitted  the  rampart ;  and,  with  a  head  that  was  re* 
marked  for  the  first  time  to  droop  over  his  chest,  paced  his  way  musing  to  his 
apartments.  ' 


CHAPTER  XXXV.  . 

KionT  had  long  si^ce  drawn  her  circling  mantle  over  the  western  hemil^ 
phere ;  and  deeper,  far  deeper  than  the  gloom  of  that  night  was  the  despair 
which  filled  every  bosom  of  the  devoted  sarrison,  whose  fortunes  it  has  fallen 
to  our  lot  to  record.  A  silence,  profound  as  that  of  death,  pervaded  the  ran^ 
parts  and  exterior  defences  of  the  fortress,  interrupted  only,  at  long  intervals, 
Dj  the  customanr  "  All's  well !"  of  the  several  sentinels ;  which«  after  the 
awful  QVents  of  the  day,  seemed  to  many  who  now  heard  it  as  if  uttered  ia 
modcery  of  their  hopelessness  of  sorrow.  The  lights  within  the  barracks  of 
the  men  had  loi^  since  extinguished;  and,  consigned  to  a  mere  repose  of 
limb,  in  which  the  eye  and  heart  shared  not,  the  inferior  soldiery  pressed  their 
rude  couches  with  spirits  worn  out  by  a  succession  of  painful  excitements,  and 
frames  debilitated  by  much  abstinence  and  watching.  It  was  ab  hour  at  whidi 
sleep  was  4font  to  afibrd  them  the  blessing  of  a  temporary  forgetfulness  of  en- 
durances that  weighed  tharjnore  heavily  as  they  were  believed  to  be  endless 
and  without  fruit;  but  sle^  had  now  apparentlv  been  banished  from  all;  fof 
tixe  low  and  conf\ised  murmur  that  met  the  ear  from  the  several  block-houses 
was  continuous  and  general,  betraying  at  times,  and  in  a  louder  key,  words 
that  bore  reference  to  the  tragic  occurrences  of  the  day. 

The  only  lights  visible  in  the  fort  proceeded  from  th?  guard-house  wd  • 
room  adjoining  that  of  the  ill-fated  Charles  de  Haldimar.  Within  the  lattey 
were  collected,  with  the  exception  of  the  governor,  and  (prouped  around  a  bed 
on  which  lay  one  of  their  companions  in  a  nearly  esi>iring  state,  the  ofBoers  of 
the  garrison,  reduced  nearly  one  third  in  number  since  we  first  offered  them 


waoousta;    or,  thk   prophbct. 


231 


bed 

j»r8  0f 

tbem 


to  the  notice  of  our  readers.  The  dying  man  was  Sir  Everard  Valletdrt,  who, 
supported  1^  pillows,  was  concludj^c:  a  narrative  that  had  chained  the  earnest 
attention  of  ms  auditory,  even  an.  the  deep  i^nd  heartfelt  sympathy  percep- 
tible in  each'for  the  forlorn  and  hopeless  conoUtion  of  the  narrator.  At  the 
'  ride  of  the  unhappy  baronet,  and  enveloped  in  a  dressing  gown,  as  if  recently 
oat  of  bed,  sat,  reclining  in  a  rude  elbow  chair,  one  whose  pallid  countenance 
denoted  that,  although  mr  less  seriously  injured,  he,  too,' had  suffered  severe- 
fy: — ^it  was  Lieutenant  Johnstone. 

The  narrative  was  at  length  closed;  and  the  officer,  exhausted  'oy  the 
effort  he  had  made  in  his  anxiety  to  communicate  every  particular  to  his 
attentive  and  surprised  companions,  had  simk  back  upon  his  pillow,  when, 
saddenly,  the  loud  and  unusual  "Who  comes  there?"  of  the  sentina 
BtationeU  on  the  rampart  above  the  gateway,  sorested  every  ear.  A,  mo- 
ment of  pause  succeeded,  when  again  was  heard  the  "  Stand,  friend !"'  evi- 
dently given  in  reply  to  the  familiar  answer  to  the  original  challenge.  Then 
were  audible  rapid  movements  in  the  guard-house,  as  of  men  aroused  from 
temporary  slumber^  and  hastening  to  the  point  whence  the  voice  proceeded. 

SUently  yet  humedly  the  officevs  now  quitted  the  bedside  of  the  dying  man, 
leaving  only  the  surgeon  and  the  invfJid  Johnstone  behind  them ;  and,  flying 
to  the  rampart,  stood  in  the  next  minute  confounded  with  the  guard,  who 
were  already  grouped  round  the  challenging  sentinel,  bendii/g  their  gaze  eagerly 
in  the  direction  of  the  ro^   ^ 

"  What  now,  man  ? — whom  have  you  challenged  ?"  asked  Major  Blackwater. 

"It  is  I — De  Haldimar,"  hoarsely  exclaimed  one  of  four  dark  figui:es  that, 
hitheito  unnoti«ed  by  the  efficers,, stood  immediately  beyond  the  ditch,  with 
a  burden  deisposited  at  their  feet.  "  Quick,  Blackwater,  let  us  in  for  God's 
sake !  Each  succeeding  minute  may  bring  a  scouting  party  oa  our  tracks 
Lower  the  drawbridge  v\ 

"Impossible !"  exclsumed  the  major:  "after  all  that  has  passed,  it  is  more 
than  myu:ommission  is  worth  to  lower  the  bridge  without  permission.  Mr. 
Lawson,  quick  to*the  governor,  and^port  that  Captain  de  Haldimar  is  here: 
with  whom  shall  we  say  ?"  again  addressiiig  the  impatient  and  almost  indig- 
nant officer. 

"  Witli  Miss  de  Haldimar,  Francois  the  Canadian,  and  one  to  whom  we  all 
owe  onr  lives,"  hurriedly  returned  the  officer ;  "  and  you  may  add,"  he  con- 
.  iinued  glooii^Iy,  "the  corpse  of  my  sister.  But  while  we  stand  in  parley  here, 
we  are  Tost :  Lawson  fly  to  my  father,  and  tell  him  we  wait  for  entrance." 

With  nearly  the  spe^d  enjomed  the  adjutant  departed.  Scarcely  a  minute 
elapsed  when  he  again  stood  upon  the  rampart,  and  advancing  closely  to  the 
m^orj  whispered  a  few  words  in  his  ear. 

"  Good  God !  can  it  be  possible  ?    When  ?    How  came  this  7  but  we  will 
enquire  later.    Open  the  gate ;  down  with  the  bridge,  Leslie,"  addressing  the 
.  officer  of  the  guard. 

The  command  was  instantly  obeyed.    The  officers  flew  to  receive  the  fugi- 
tives ;  and  as  the  latter  crossed  the  drawbridge,  the  light  of  a  lantern,  that  bad 
been  brought  from  the  guard-room,  flashed  full  upon  the  harassed  counte- 
nances of  Captain  and  Mi^^  de  Haldimar,  Fran9oiB  the  Canadian,  and  the  de- 
'    toted  Oucanasta. 

Silent  and  melancholy  was  the  greeting  that  took  place  between  the  parties : 
the  voice  spoke  not ;  the  hand  alone  was  eloquent ;  but  it  was  in  the  eloquence 
'  of  sorrow  only  that  it  indulged.  Pleasure,  even  in  this  almost  despaired  of 
re-union,  could  not  be  expressed  j  and  even  the  eye  shrank  from  mutual  en- 
counter, as  if  its  very  dance  at  such  a  moment  were  sacrile^.  Recalled  to  a 
sense  or  her  situation  bV  Uie  preparation  pf  the  men  to  raise  the  bridge,  the 
Indian  woman  was  the  first  to  break  the  silence. 

"  The  Saganaw  is  safe  within  his  fort,  and  the  giri  of  the  pale  ftces  will  lay 
her  head  upon  his  bosom,"  she  remarked  solemly.  "  Oucanasta  will  go  to  hor 
solitary  wigwam  among  the  red  ski&s." 


2S3 


WACOVSTAj     OR,    THE     PROPBKOT. 


The  heart  of  Madeline  de  Haldimar  was  oppressed  by  the  weight  of  manj 
griefe ;  yet  she  could  not  see  the  generous  preserver  of  her  life,  and  the  rescuef 
of  the  body  of  her  ill-fated  cousin  depart  without  emotion.  Drawing  a  ring 
of  som6  value  and  great  beauty,  from  her  finger,  which  she  had  more  than 
once  observed  t^e  Indian  to  admire,  she  placed  it  on  her  hand ;  and  then 
throwing  herself  on  the  bosom  of  the  faithful  creature,  embraced  her  with 
deep  manifestations  of  affection,  but  without  uttering  a  word. 

Oucanasta  was  sensibly  gratified :  she  raised  her  large  eves  to  heaven  as  if 
in  thankfulness ;  and  by  the  light  of  the  lantern,  which  fell  upon  her  dark 
but  expressive  countenance,  tears  were  to  be  seen  starting  unbidden  from  ti^eir. 
source. 

Released  from  the  embrace  of  her  whose  life  she  had  twice  preserved  &i 
imminent  peril  to  her  own,  the  Indian  again  prepared  to  depart ;  but  there 
was  another,  who^  like  Maaeline,  although  stncken  by  many  sorrows,  could 
not  forego  the  testimony  of  his  heart's  gratitude.  Captain  de  Haldimar,  who 
during  this  short  scene  had  despatched  a  messenger  to  his  room  for  the  pur^ 
pose,  now  advanced  to  the  poor  girl,  bearing  a  short  but  elegantly  mounted 
dagger,  which  he  begged  her  to  deliver  as  aTOken  of  friendship  to  the  young 
chief  her  brother.  He  then  dropped  on  one  knee  >\^  her  feet,  and  raising  her 
hand,  pfiessed  it  fervently  against  his  heart;  an  action  which,  even  to  the  un- 
tutored mind  of  the  Indian,  bore  evidence  only  of  the  feeling  that  prompted 
it.    A  heavy  sigh  escaped  her  laboring  chest ;  and  i^s  the  ofBcer  now  rose,  and 

auitted  her  hand,  she  turned  slowly  and  with  dignity  frt>m  him,  and  crossing 
[le  drawbridge,  was  in  a  few  minutes  lost  in  the  surrounding  gloom. 
Our  readers  have  doubtless  ianticipated  the  communication  made  to  Mi^or 
Blackwater  by  the  Adjutant,  Lawson.  Bowed  down  to  the  dust  by  the  ao- 
complishment  of  the  curse  of  Ellen  Halloway,  the  inflexibility  of  Cfolonel  de 
Halumar's  pride  was  not  proof  against  the  utter  annihilation  wrought  to  his' 
hopes  as  a  uither  by  the  unrelenting  >j''tred  of  the  enemy  his  early  falsehood 
and  treachery  had  nused  up  to  him.  When  the  adjutant  entered  his  .apart* 
ment,  the  stony  coldness  of  his  cheek  attested  he  had  been  dead  for  some, 
hours. 

We  pass  over  the  few  daysiof  bitter  trial  that  succeeded  to  the  restoration 
of  Captain  de  Haldimar  and  his  bride  to  their  friends }  days  during  which  were 
consigned  to  the  same  grave  the  bodies  of  the  governor,  his  lamented  children, 
and  me  scarcely  less  regretted  Sir  Everard  Yalletort.  The  funeral*  service  was 
attempted  by  Captain  Blessington ;  but  the  strong  affection  of  that  excellent 
officer,  for  three  of  the  defunct  parties  at  least,  was  not  armed  against  the 
trial.  He  had  undertaken  a  task  far  bejond  hisostrength ;  and  scarcely  had 
commenced,  ere  he  was  coVnpelled  to  rehnquish  the  T>enormance  of  the  ritual 
to  the  adjutant.  A  large  grave  had  been  dug  close  under  the  rampart,  and 
hear  the  fatal  flag-staff,  to  receive  the  bodies  of  their  deceased  friends ;  and, 
as  they  were  lowered  successively  into  their  4a8t  earthly  resting  place,  tears 
fell  unrestrainedly  over  the  bronzed  cheeks  of  the  oldest  soldiers,  while  many 
a  female  sob  blended  with  and  gave  tuucmn^  solemnity  to  the  scene. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  from  this  quadruple  interment,  notice  was 
given  by  one  of  the  sentinels  that  an  Indian  was  approaching  the  fort,"  making 
signs  as  if  in  demand  for  a  parley.  The- officers,  headed  by  Major  Blackwater, 
now  become  the  commandant  of  the  place,  immediately  ascended  the  rampart, 
when  the  stranger  was  at  once  recognized  by  Captain  de  Haldimar  for*  the 

Stung  Ottawa,  the  {preserver  of  his  life,  and  the  aveng^er  of  the  deaths  of 
ose  thoy  mourned,  in  whose  girdle  was  thrust,  in  seeming  pride,  the  richlv 
mounted  dagger  that  officer  had  caused  to  be  conyeyed  to  him  torough  his 
no  less  generous  sister.  A  long  oonfcrcnce  ensued,  in  the  language  of  the 
Ottawas,  between  the  parties  just  named,  the  purport  of  which  was  of  high 
moment  to  the  garrison,  now  nearly  reduced  to  the  last  extremity.  The 
young  chief  had  come  to  apprise  them,  that,  won  by  the  noble  conduct  of  the 
EngUsI^  on  a  late  occasion,  when  his  warriors  were  wholly  in  tikeir  power, 


WA00V8TA        OR,    Tl    1    P  E '^  F  H  B  O  T 


223 


)ration 
hwere 
dren, 
was 
celient 
stthe  s 
7  had 
ritual 
t,and 
and, 
tears 
many 

Ice  was 
laking 
|:water, 

ipari. 

r'the 
iiha  of 

richljr 

[gh  his 

lof  the 

k  high 

The 

lof  the 

power, 


Ponteae  bad  expressed  a  generous  determination  t  nclude  s  .«aco  with  the 
garrison,  and  henceforth  to  consider  them  as  his  frii  Is.  Thif  e  had  publicly 
declared  in  a  la^  council  of  the  chiefs,  held  th«  reccdinc;  mght ;  and  the 
motive  of  the  Ottawa's  coming  was  to  assure  the  ^.agii  h,  th  it,  on  this  occa> 
non,  their  great  leader  was  perfectly  sincere  in  a  resolution,  at  which  he  had 
the  more  readily  arrived,  now  that  his  terrible  coadjutor  and  vindictive  adviser 
was  no  more.  He  prepared  them  for  the  coming  of  Ponteac  and  the  principal 
chiefs  of  the  league  to  demand  a  council  on  the  morrow ;  and,  with  this  final 
communication,  again  withdrew. 

The  Ottawa  was  right.  Within  a  week  from  that  .period  the  English  were 
to  be  seen  once  ^pre  issuing  from  their  fort ;  and,  although  many  months 
elapsed  before  the  wounds  of  their  suffering  hearts  were  healed,  still  were 
they  grateful  to  Providence  for  th^ir  final  preservation  from  a  doom  that  had 
fallen,  without  exception,  on  every  fortress  on  the  line  of  frontier  in  which 
they  lay. 

Time  rolled  on ;  and,  in  the  course  of  years,  Oucandssta  might  be  seen  asso- 
dating  with  and  bearing  curious  presents,  the  fruits  of  Indian  ingenuity,  to 

the  daughters  of  De  Haldimar,  nov;  become  the  colonel  of  the regiment ; 

while  her  brother,  the  chief,  instructed  his  sons  in  the  athletic  and  active  excr- 
daes  peculiar  to  his  race.  As  for  poor  Ellen  HalToway,  search  had  been  made 
kr  her,  but  she  never  was  heard  of  afterwards. 


<■    •* 


.  I 


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>• 


